Study: Women With Mild Cognitive Impairment Appear To Deteriorate Faster Than Men

The CBS Evening News (7/21, story 8, 2:05, Rose) reported, “Scientists are trying to unlock the mysteries of Alzheimer’s Disease, including why it affects so many more women than men.” Now, a new study suggests that “older women with mild memory problems worsen about twice as rapidly as men.”

The Wall Street Journal (7/21, A3, Wang, Subscription Publication) reports that the study was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference and is to be published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. The findings were derived from a long-term nationwide study of 398 patients called the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, which is partly funded by the National Institute on Aging.

The New York Times (7/22, A16, Carey, Subscription Publication) reports that after “controlling for factors that influence memory and mental acuity, like age, education and genetic predisposition, the research team found that women’s scores slipped by an average of about two points a year, compared with one point for men.” In addition, researchers examined “a standard measure of life quality, rating how well people functioned socially: at home, at work and with family.” They found that “that, too, slipped faster for women than for men, at about the same rate.”

Related Links:

— “Women With Memory Impairment Deteriorate Faster Than Men, Alzheimer’s Study Shows,” Shirley S. Wang, Wall Street Journal, July 21, 2015.

Posted in In The News.