Hormone medications may prevent dementia development
Last reviewed: 07.06.2024
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Treatment with hormone replacement therapy during menopause helps to prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease in women at risk of this disease. This was stated by the staff of the East Anglian University.
Women have a higher risk of developing dementia, than men. About 60-65% of patients with Alzheimer's disease are female. The reasons for this discrepancy lie in the relatively longer life expectancy, pronounced metabolic changes against the background of a drop in hormone levels during menopause, as well as in the possible carrier of the APOE4 gene. The scientists devoted their new scientific work to the following question: whether hormone replacement drugs can to some extent prevent the deterioration of cognitive abilities in women who are carriers of the APOE4 gene (by the way, such - about 25%).
Specialists analyzed the medical histories of more than a thousand women who crossed the 50-year threshold and participated in a project from the European Initiative for the Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease . The project involved representatives of ten countries: in the course of the work they tracked the dynamics of changes in the brain functionality of the participants - from the normal state to the diagnosis of dementia (in individual patients).
As a result, it was found out that against the background of hormone replacement therapy women had fewer memory problems, the brain was more functional, which was confirmed by diagnostics. Improvements were more obvious if hormone replacement therapy was started early - with the beginning of the perimenopause period. Researchers concluded that the practice of hormone replacement therapy during periods of transition and postmenopause can be used to alleviate or prevent cognitive decline.
The scientists want to focus their next work on an intervention trial to confirm the earliest possible start of hormone replacement therapy to support cognitive performance and brain health in general. In addition, experts will have to figure out which types of drugs are more effective and at what doses.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia. It is a condition in which the brain ceases to function properly: memory disorders appear, thinking and behavior suffer. The speed of development of the disease varies, but the average life expectancy after diagnosis is about eight years. Unfortunately, there is no cure for the disease, so experts continue to work in search of ways to prevent the development of pathology and optimize brain health.
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