Alzheimer’s Hits Men and Women Differently

Question 1

Alzheimer

Answer 1

Progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. It is the most common cause of premature senility.
Early 20th century: named after Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915), the German neurologist who first identified it.

Question 2

factor

Answer 2

There are many other factors that can be modified to lower the risk of dementia.

Question 3

dementia (dɪˈmɛnʃə)

Answer 3

Loss of cognitive abilities, including memory, concentration, communication, planning, and abstract thinking, resulting from brain injury or from a disease such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease. It is sometimes accompanied by emotional disturbance and personality changes.

Question 4

devise vt.

Answer 4

our ability to reduce Alzheimer’s risk and devise new strategies for prevention and treatment is impeded by a lack of knowledge about how and why the disease differs between women and men.

Question 5

hormone (ˈhɔːməʊn)

Answer 5

a. A substance, usually a peptide or steroid, produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to effect physiological activity, such as growth or metabolism.

Question 6

steroid (ˈstɪər ɔɪd, ˈstɛr-)

Answer 6

Any of numerous fat-soluble organic compounds that have a core structure of 17 carbon atoms arranged in four rings, found naturally in animals, plants, and fungi, or produced synthetically. Steroids include the sterols (such as cholesterol), sex hormones (such as estrogen and testosterone), corticosteroid hormones (such as cortisol), bile acids, and anabolic steroids.

Question 7

estrogen (ˈɛs trə dʒən)

Answer 7

any of several major female sex hormones produced primarily by ovarian follicles, capable of inducing estrus, producing secondary female sex characteristics, and preparing the uterus for the reception of a fertilized egg: synthesized and used in oral contraceptives and in various therapies.

Question 8

interdisciplinary (ˌɪn tərˈdɪs ə pləˌnɛr i)

Answer 8

involving two or more disciplines or fields.

Question 9

call for

Answer 9

calls for greater analysis of research data by sex to stimulate new approaches that will improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s.

Question 10

evidence

Answer 10

We have some evidence, for example, that…..

Question 11

premenopausal (ˌpriːmenəˈpɔːzəl)

Answer 11

Just recently she’s been bothered by premenopausal symptoms like anxiety and fading of memory.

Question 12

menopause (ˈmɛnəʊˌpɔːz)

Answer 12

the period of natural cessation of menstruation, usu. occurring between the ages of 45 and 55.

Question 13

negate

Answer 13

negate the risk of dementia
To make ineffective or invalid; nullify: a wage increase that was negated by inflation; a goal that was negated by an official’s ruling.

Question 14

androgen [ˋændrədʒən]

Answer 14

A steroid hormone, such as testosterone or androsterone, that controls the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics. Also called androgenic hormone.

Question 15

prostate

Answer 15

The prostate gland.

Question 16

sleep apnea (ˈæp ni ə)

Answer 16

cessation of respiration

Question 17

confer

Answer 17

1. (tr; foll by on or upon) to grant or bestow (an honour, gift, etc)
2. (intr) to hold or take part in a conference or consult together

Alzheimer’s Hits Men and Women Differently, and We Need to Understand Why
Credit: Cornelia Li
ADVERTISEMENT
Growing older may be inevitable, but getting Alzheimer’s disease is not. Although we can’t stop the aging process, which is the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer’s, there are many other factors that can be modified to lower the risk of dementia.

Yet our ability to reduce Alzheimer’s risk and devise new strategies for prevention and treatment is impeded by a lack of knowledge about how and why the disease differs between women and men. There are tantalizing hints in the literature about factors that act differently between the sexes, including hormones and specific genes, and these differences could be important avenues of research. Unfortunately, in my experience, most studies of Alzheimer’s risk combine data for women and men.

For that reason, researchers at the Society for Women’s Health Research Interdisciplinary Network on Alzheimer’s Disease recently published a review paper in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association that calls for greater analysis of research data by sex to stimulate new approaches that will improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s.

ADVERTISEMENT
We have some evidence, for example, that sex hormones such as estrogen influence the course of the disease, but we do not understand enough about why and how. Ovaries are the primary source of estrogen for premenopausal women, and surgical removal of a woman’s ovaries before menopause is associated with a higher risk of dementia. But using estrogen therapy after surgery until age 50 negates that risk. This fact suggests that estrogen may be protective in premenopausal women.

In men, there are conflicting studies as to whether androgen-deprivation therapy, which is used to treat prostate cancer, increases the risk for Alzheimer’s. Further investigation is needed into the role of sex hormones, the use of different hormonal treatments and the ways they each impact Alzheimer’s risk.

Among risk factors that affect both women and men, some are more common in one sex. For example, depression and sleep apnea are both risk factors for dementia, but depression is twice as common in women, and sleep apnea is much more common in men. Similarly, low education and poor job attainment are Alzheimer’s risk factors, but traditionally women have not had the same access to education and job opportunities as men, which puts them at increased risk.

The e4 allele of the APOE gene is the strongest and most common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s in both women and men, but it confers a greater risk in women.

Question 18

intervention

Answer 18

It is possible that certain Alzheimer’s risk factors may be strongest at certain points during our lives, and exploring this correlation is key for prevention and early intervention.

Question 19

impede

Answer 19

This bias has impeded progress in detection and care.

Question 20

incorporate …into

Answer 20

Approaches that incorporate sex differences into research have advanced innovation in respect to many diseases.

Question 21

Alzheimer’s Hits Men and Women Differently, and We Need to Understand Why

Answer 21

To fight the disease, we need to look at sex-specific risks

By Rebecca Nebel | Scientific American September 2018 Issue

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/alzheimers-hits-men-and-women-differently-and-we-need-to-understand-why/