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!

Tfoot75 that is interesting. I will also research more into that.

What is your goal here?

What do you hope to achieve by labelling something as "a woman's disease"?

of course it's because women live longer. Unless you think it's a conspiracy against women?

Perhaps men die earlier from heart disease, thus freeing them from this awful disease.

Yeah, because heart disease is a bundle of laughs.

It would be massively irresponsible and dangerous for the medical profession to start classifying this as a women's disease - it would skew the likelihood of medical professionals looking out for signs of dementia in men, make men less likely to seek or accept diagnosis, restrict funding for research (as all of the studies would suddenly start being conducted on women with women as the target outcome group). When all the evidence points to dementia as being primarily age-related rather than gender specific (by age 90, women outnumber men 3/1)? YABU.

www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=2422

Women with memory problems show faster rates of cognitive decline than men

Published 21 July 2015

Women with memory problems experience faster rates of cognitive decline than men, according to research presented today (Tuesday 21 July 2015).

The research was presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Washington. Researchers also report that women are more susceptible to developing dementia after surgery.

In the first study, women with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) showed a rate of cognitive decline two times faster than men with MCI. The study followed 398 people with MCI (141 women and 257 men).

The second study found that women were at higher risk for long-term cognitive and functional problems following surgery with general anaesthesia. The study involved a total of 527 participants, of which 182 people underwent a total of 331 procedures under general anaesthesia. It found that women were at a higher risk of post-operative brain dysfunction than men.
Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research at Alzheimer's Society, said:

'Considerably more women develop dementia in the Western world than men and this isn't just because they live longer.

'This new research shows that women with memory problems experience faster rates of cognitive decline than men and are also more susceptible to developing dementia after surgery. Researchers are in the dark as to why this is - we still have a long way to go to unravel all the complex causes of dementia.
'Future research to understand why these gender differences exist could help us develop and tailor treatments for men and women with the condition.'

What do you suggest is done to "correct" it?

Shining Breast cancer is seen to be exclusive to women but men get it too.

Reproductive organs excluded. Though one has to wonder why men are more at risk of heart disease than women.

Yes but the reason more people are dying with the listed cause of Dementia is because fewer people are dying from other things, meaning people live longer generally, meaning we have an increasingly elderly population, and the older people get the higher the chance they will develop dementia.

It isn't a dementia epidemic it's a case of we have got too good at keeping people alive long after the human body was designed to be kept alive. You could almost say the NHS is causing the increase of dementia....

Obviously there is masses more info out there for those who want to research

I note in particular that women are more susceptible to developing dementia after general anaesthesia

Perhaps men die earlier from heart disease, thus freeing them from this awful disease.

Yeah, because heart disease is a bundle of laughs.

Cockacidal, my DF has congestive heart failure as well as Huntington's disease. Everyone, including my DF, his neurologist and his cardiologist, seems to believe that his heart disease would be the more merciful death.

I wouldn't wish either of them on him, but when you're faced with devastating neurological conditions first hand, it's easier to see why and how people say a death from heart disease would be almost preferable to the alternative.

Though one has to wonder why men are more at risk of heart disease than women.

Multiple reasons for that; genetic, lifestyle, unwillingness to attend GP for routine testing.

If your mum is in her 90's why are you so concerned about developing dementia or Alzheimer's?

We are all going to die though obviously and the longer you live the more likely you are to suffer from either of the above conditions. It is awful but so are a lot of ways of dying sadly.

I have a friend (female) who was diagnosed with early onset alzheimers in her mid 50's, she is mid 60's now and her decline was fairly rapid. Her father also suffered with this and I recall her saying (crossly) that her stepmother had put him in a home, he was late 50's, and it was only because he had a few memory problems! In hindsight I wonder if this is something that runs in families.
It worries me as Dh's father was the only one out of 7 children (mixed sexes) to not have suffered with dementia.

As previous posters have said, men don't live as long. They will often die of heart / lung disease before dementia is diagnosed. They also don't attend the doctors as much or may choose not to pursue a diagnosis. Another factor is they are likely to have a surviving spouse to take the strain which can 'hide' dementia for longer and keep them out of care.

I'm sure I've read in the back of my mind a possible hormonal aspect but I can't remember the ins and outs of that.

That was grammatically crap, I doubt many people die happily or happily die!

I wouldn't wish either of them on him, but when you're faced with devastating neurological conditions first hand, it's easier to see why and how people say a death from heart disease would be almost preferable to the alternative.

I spent years nursing patients with heart failure and other cardiovascular problems. Years of disability, decline, hypoxia related confusion.
It's not a disease competition.

Good link Shining. It is interesting that there is a view that most drugs on the market are targeted at men because it is mostly men who are the guinea pigs for testing. Obviously, male and female physiology is different (this IS NOT a trans thread). When it comes to testing drugs perhaps the default is male and this impacts on females later in life.

As to what is to be done about it? Think. This is likely to be your future.

Cockacidal, I never said it was - I'm certainly not trying to turn this into one. I was just trying to add another perspective to why the PP said what she did.

But as I said up thread a significant reason why there has been an 'increase' in people dying from dementia is largely because of changes in the way deaths are recorded where there is also a dementia diagnosis.

So what do you propose?

That was aimed at the OP; thread is moving so fast it's difficult to keep up.

It is interesting that there is a view that most drugs on the market are targeted at men because it is mostly men who are the guinea pigs for testing.

Men can't accidentally get pregnant-no one tests drugs in pregnant women because of the risk of affecting the baby.

Possibly because men are less likely to go to the doctors?

No, heart disease is awful, but to be stabilised with that and then go on to have dementia? I can't even imagine.

So what is to be done with women living longer? Perhaps encourage them to take a more active part in life? Rather than retire to obscurity and become a financial and emotional burden in life.