Women and Alzheimer's, The Gender Risk

The Alzheimer’s Association released a report on March 19, 2014 announcing that women at age 65 have a lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer’s that is almost twice the lifetime risk of men at age 65.  This information begs the question why women are more prone to this disease.

There are other explanations for the imbalanced gender toll of Alzheimer’s Disease: women live longer than men.  Alzheimer’s Disease is, in most cases, a disease of old age, and women live longer than men.  Based on 2010 census data, women comprise 57% of the US population over the age of 65, but they comprise 67% of the population over the age of 85.  Therefore, by measuring the lifetime risk of developing the disease starting at age 65, the results will reflect longevity as well as vulnerability to the disease.  However, longevity alone does not explain the higher prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease among women.

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