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Incidence of dementia: does gender make a difference?
A Ruitenberg1, A Ott, J C van Swieten
1Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Neurobiology of Aging
|July 11, 2001
Summary
Dementia risk is similar for men and women overall. However, after age 90, women have a higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease, while men have a higher incidence of vascular dementia.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Epidemiology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Previous research suggested higher dementia risk in women, but this was based on limited data.
- Investigating gender differences in dementia incidence is crucial for understanding disease prevalence and risk factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine gender-specific incidence rates of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia.
- To assess potential age-related gender disparities in dementia development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Rotterdam Study, a large prospective population-based cohort study.
- Followed 7,046 individuals aged 55+ for a mean of 5.7 years (40,441 person-years).
- Identified and analyzed new cases of dementia and its subtypes (Alzheimer's, vascular dementia).
Main Results:
- Overall dementia incidence was similar between men and women (rate ratio: 1.00).
- After age 90, dementia incidence increased in women but declined in men (rate ratio: 2.61).
- Alzheimer's disease incidence was significantly higher in women over 90 (rate ratio: 5.79), while vascular dementia incidence was higher in men across all age groups (rate ratio: 0.57 for women vs. men).
Conclusions:
- This study indicates no overall gender difference in dementia incidence up to advanced age.
- Significant gender-specific patterns emerge after age 90, with higher Alzheimer's risk for women and higher vascular dementia risk for men.
- Findings highlight the importance of considering age and dementia subtype when evaluating gender-based risks.