WASHINGTON (AP) – Nearly two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease are women, and now some scientists are questioning the long-held assumption that it’s just because women tend to live longer than men.
What else may put woman at extra risk?
Could it be genetics? Biological differences in how women age? Maybe even lifestyle factors?
Finding out might affect treatments or preventive care.
One worrisome hint is that research shows a notorious Alzheimer’s-related gene has a bigger impact on women than on men.
Maria Carrillo is the Alzheimer’s Association’s chief science officer. She says there are enough biological questions about women’s risk that it’s time to find some answers.
She says her organization plans to begin funding some new research later this summer to try.
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