title: [Estrogens and Alzheimer disease].
abstract: Several factors lead to a higher number of female patients with Alzheimer's disease, and thus prevention and treatment are of particular concern to women. Given the slow development of histopathological alterations in Alzheimer's disease, prevention should start early in life. Several lines of evidence document in vitro and in vivo a protective effect of oestrogen on neurons. Women substitute oestrogen during the immediate postmenopausal years, and this offers a natural experiment for testing the preventive action of oestrogen against Alzheimer's disease. Case control studies and cohort studies support a general protective effect of hormone (i.e. oestrogen) replacement therapy (HRT). Short-term and small-scale intervention trials in patients with Alzheimer's disease show positive results. However, it is not clear to what extent cognition is improved by the known effects of oestrogen on mood and behavioural symptoms. More studies are needed to establish the value of oestrogen replacement therapy in primary and secondary prevention of Alzheimer's disease. At present, oestrogen can be recommended in women at risk for familial Alzheimer's disease and as adjuvant therapy in mild early Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Geriatrische Universitätsklinik, Kantonsspital Basel.
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Stähelin
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D004967:Estrogens / Q000502:physiology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens