Considering sex and gender in Alzheimer disease and other dementias.
Suffering related to dementia is multifaceted because cognitive and physical functioning slowly deteriorates. Advanced age and sex, two of the most prominent risk factors for dementia, are not modifiable. Lifestyle factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol use, and poor diet modulate susceptibility to dementia in both males and females. The degree to which the resulting health conditions (eg, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease) impact dementia risk varies by sex. Depending on the subtype of dementia, the ratio of male to female prevalence differs. For example, females are at greater risk of developing Alzheimer disease dementia, whereas males are at greater risk of developing vascular dementia. This review examines sex and gender differences in the development of dementia with the goal of highlighting factors that require further investigation. Considering sex as a biological variable in dementia research promises to advance our understanding of the pathophysiology and treatment of these conditions.
Penn PROMOTES Research on Sex and Gender in Health, University of Pennsylvania; Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Jessica L
JL
Podcasy
Penn PROMOTES Research on Sex and Gender in Health, University of Pennsylvania; Department of Psychiatry and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
C Neill
CN
Epperson
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors
APOE; Alzheimer disease; Parkinson disease; aging; dementia; frontotemporal lobe dementia; gender; genetics; risk factor; sex; vascular dementia