Women over 90 more likely to have dementia than men

Women over 90 more likely to have dementia than men


Women over 90 more likely to have dementia than men
Published: 14 hours ago, 16:25 EST, July 02, 2008

Women over 90 are significantly more likely to have dementia than men
of the same age, according UC Irvine researchers involved with the 90+
Study, one of the nation's largest studies of dementia and other
health factors in the fastest-growing age demographic.


The researchers reviewed an analysis of 911 people enrolled in the 90+
Study. Of those, 45 percent of the women had dementia, as opposed to
28 percent of the men. The analysis did not determine when the
subjects first experienced dementia.

The 90-plus age group, or the "oldest old," is the fastest growing
segment of the population, according to the U.S. Census. While there
are currently nearly 2 million nonagenarians in the U.S. alone, that
number is projected to increase to 10 to 12 million by the middle of
the century, raising concerns that the current health care system may
not be able to accommodate this population.

"Our findings show that more will need to be done to provide adequate
resources to care for the increasing number of very old people with
dementia," said Maria Corrada, a UC Irvine epidemiologist and study
corresponding author.

The study appears in the July 2 online issue of Neurology, the medical
journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Research has shown that dementia prevalence for both men and women
increases from age 65 to 85. The frequency of dementia increases with
age from less than 2 percent for the 65-69-year-olds, to 5 percent for
the 75-79-year-olds and to more than 20 percent for the 85-89-year-
olds.

The UC Irvine study, conducted in Laguna Woods, Calif., is among the
few to look at dementia in people over age 90. It found that the
likelihood of having dementia doubled every five years in women after
reaching 90, but not in men. The results also showed that women with a
higher education appeared to be as much as 45 percent less likely to
have dementia compared to women with less education.

With women comprising three-quarters of the 90-plus population, the
study raises questions why these women nonagenarians are more likely
to have dementia than men.

"Our findings provide valuable information toward further inquiries
into dementia, such as if oldest-old men can live as long with
dementia as oldest-old women do, or whether in this age group women
develop dementia at a higher rate than men," Corrada said.

Dementia, a progressive brain dysfunction, leads to a gradually
increasing restriction of daily activities. The most well-known type
of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. Symptoms of dementia include
memory loss, cognitive disorientation and behavioral changes. Dementia
affects not only patients but also those surrounding them, as most
patients require long-term care.

Source: University of California - Irvine






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