To think that Dementia/Alzheimers is a woman's disease.

[Elendon]

Two thirds of those who die from the disease are women. This is an awful statistic. I'm shocked.

www.alzheimers.org.uk/statistics

It costs billions of pounds per year to the NHS and the Carer system. Note: my aunt has alzheimers. Why are women so adversely affected? Surely this has to be corrected as a matter of urgency!

Meant to add this link also. 'Dementia now leading cause of death.'

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-37972141

This is women's future?

Its because women live longer, obviously.

No men get it too

What bibbety said.

It isn't a woman's disease. I've lost two uncles to it. I think you're being unreasonable.

What bibbety said

I haven't looked at the research but I'm not sure it is as simple as that. It certainly doesn't feel like that is the case working in elderly dementia care.

I think factors such as women generally having longer life expectancy than men anyway probably comes into play here too, as men who may get Alzheimer's perhaps are more likely to die of other health conditions first.

I thought it was because women lived longer? Another statistic on that page is that the incidence doubles for every 5 years in age. So if men have already died earlier from a different cause, it will mean that more women will die of/with dementia. I'm neither a medical expert nor a statistician, however.

(There's another argument that dementia affects women disproportionately as they form the majority of carers for the elderly, but I don't think that's what you were asking.)

bibbity sorry.

There were hardly any men in the care home my mum was in.

I know four men with Dementia, no women at the moment.

It is shocking that two thirds of those who die are female, but there are definitely male sufferers. I wish they'd cure it for everyone.

I'd worry a bit that starting to frame it as a women's disease could negatively impact research and funding, too...

Your link is two years old Elendon - do you have more recent statistics please? My Grandad is the only person in our family (so far) to have suffered from this.

Yabu to say it's a woman's disease, a third of those affected are men and it's equally devastating for both sexes. I don't think we should be labeling diseases as a man's/woman's unless it is really doesn't affect the other sex.

But yanbu to wonder why it affects more women than men. Apparently women who have had sons are less likely to have dementia than women who have only had daughters. I'm curious to know why!

My eldest cousin is male and is in the early stages. Historically the men on my mother's side of the family haven't been long lived though.

Though dementia/Alzheimer's can occur in younger patients, they are primarily an old person's disorder. Easiest way to correct it would be to make sure that women died as frequently from ischaemic heart disease and lung cancer as men do, perhaps by promoting smoking and over-eating. Not sure how we would give them cancer of the prostate though.

My mum has it now. its hideous.

My grans both had it but lived longer than my grandad who died of heart disease.

Women live longer at the moment although with life style changes I think this will change in time.

Surely this has to be corrected as a matter of urgency!

research is ongoing - I'm not sure who you think it can be corrected - it's not completely understood but drugs are being developed and this is a lot of research on-going.

The woman thing - does that figure take account that men often die earlier than women so may not be living long enough to develop this disease?

I have known four people contract dementia or specifically Alzheimer's. They were all men.

apparently women who have had sons are less likely to have dementia than women who have only had daughters. I'm curious to know why!

I don't know but I know having children affect risks of various diseases - I've read it because we end up with bits of their DNA floating round our bodies. Having children also changes how we process drugs - which is an issue as after childbirth we process some drugs more like men rather than the young women pre children women who sign up for drug trails.

also dementia/Alzheimer's is a bit of a funny one when it comes to death recording.

I believe it's only fairly recently there has been a push for it to be listed as a cause of death as the is a view that people don't die from dementia they die from the physical symptoms of dementia, for example pneumonia.

just because records show more women died with the named cause of Alzheimer's does not mean that men don't also get it, just perhaps they are more likely not to have it listed as the cause of death.

I wonder if women are more often diagnosed than men.

I have not really read much in detail but the link between Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes is being much researched at the moment, it could be that men with type 2 diabetes are much more likely to die of diabetes complications and therefore not the later stage Alzheimer's? Must read more on the research.

I can't say I've noticed more women dying from it - maybe they seek help earlier though?

My maternal grandfather died with dementia, my paternal grandmother died with Huntington's disease. They share characteristics. There was a time when it was believed women couldn't develop HD, although that was disproven many years ago. I don't believe neurological diseases discriminate, although it's acknowledged that HD passed down through the father has an earlier and more aggressive onset.

Anecdotes are very tempting but prove nothing at all.

There must be many factors involved. Women live longer. They generally see their doctors more often and present with concerns whereas men typically delay and deny problems. Women may look after and cover for men with memory issues for longer, thus delaying diagnosis and skewing the stats.

That's just off the top of my head.

Anecdotally, there are approx 20 women to every man with dementia in my MIL's nursing home.

Age is a far greater risk factor than gender

surely to qualify as a women's disease it would need to be exclusive to women?

Men do get dementia I understand that. Perhaps men die earlier from heart disease, thus freeing them from this awful disease. Dementia is an awful disease whoever gets it. But two thirds of those with it are women. I really don't want this as my future in old age. My mum is in her nineties and is fairly healthy for her age. It's just not an option I thought I would be in for me as a woman.

I'm not convinced about the living longer argument. This has serious consequences upon an already stretched NHS budget. Taking care of someone with Alzheimers/Dementia is soul destroying. They are going to die.