Alzheimer’s disease in depressed women

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive form of dementia that causes memory loss, decline in reasoning, change in gait and difficulty in speaking and understanding. The two types of Alzheimer’s disease are the early and late on-set. The early on-set is rare and hereditary while the late on-set is the most common type of the disease.

There are several risk factors involved such as age, genetics and the occurrence of several diseases like cardiovascular related-illnesses and diabetes. Recently, gender has also become a factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Recent studies have showed that men who have had stroke in the past and depressed women are more likely to contract Alzheimer’s disease.

In a study published online on Nature Genetics, scientists have discovered that women who inherit two copies of the PCDH11X gene, a variant gene located on the X chromosome, the risk of contracting Alzheimer’s disease becomes even higher. Men and women who had just one copy of the variant PCDH11X gene in their X chromosome also had increased risk but the effects were considerably weaker than having two copies of the variant gene.

However, more evidence should be gathered to further prove the potency of their claims. The scientists say that their study does not imply that women are more highly to contract Alzheimer’s disease than men; only that women who have two copies of PCDH11X are more likely to develop the disease. Another gene variant called CALHM1 is also suggested to have the same effect as PCDH11X.

Another recent study suggests that patients who have a mother with Alzheimer’s disease will most likely exhibit brain abnormality and shrinkage which are characteristic of the disease. Another study is now underway to investigate whether the genetic material of the mother which is transferred to her child in the mitochondrion can also play a hand in contracting Alzheimer’s disease.

Like the previously mentioned novel studies, more experiments and careful studies should be undertaken to confirm their studies’ claims. If these studies’ results would be confirmed, then a possible new preventive treatment could be devised for those with Alzheimer’s.

Most scientists say that because women have a higher life expectancy rate than men they are more susceptible to diseases that progress over time such as Alzheimer’s disease. Experts suggest that since women are the primary caregivers in the family, the added stress of that, plus work and household chores, might also play a role in the development of the disease.