Vascular risk, younger age at menopause associated with cognitive decline
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Key takeaways:
- Those who experienced early menopause were at greater risk for cognitive decline.
- Early menopause in combination with elevated vascular risk accelerated cognitive decline.
Early menopause and vascular processes may synergistically contribute to increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease in women, according to a poster presentation at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.
“Two-thirds of people with Alzheimer’s disease are women, but the causes of this sex difference are largely unknown,” Madeline Wood Alexander, BA, of the University of Toronto, told Healio. “We were interested in studying some of the reasons why women might be at greater risk for Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, we wanted to look at whether two known risk factors for dementia — specifically younger age at menopause and higher cardiovascular risk — work together to influence cognitive decline in women”.
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Wood Alexander and colleagues used data from Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging to assess 7,678 postmenopausal women and 7,678 age-matched men for vascular risk and cognitive decline.
The researchers found that relative to average-aged menopause, those who experienced early menopause were at greater risk for cognitive decline, while those who experienced late menopause were at decreased risk for cognitive decline.
For men, vascular risk was significantly associated with cognitive decline, while in women early menopause in combination with elevated vascular risk accelerated cognitive decline. However, women who experienced average or late menopause and had elevated vascular risk did not significantly differ in cognitive decline from men.
“Given the rising rates of dementia in our aging population, Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most pressing issues in women's health” Wood Alexander said. “However, there are substantial gaps in our understanding of women’s elevated risk for Alzheimer’s disease. I hope that my research will shine a light on the critical importance of studying women’s brain health in dementia science, and in medical science more broadly.”