Public Health.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Public Health

Background:

• Family history is crucial for Alzheimer's disease (AD) prediction and management.
• Investigating gender differences in family history can elucidate AD's genetic and pathological pathways.
• This study focuses on a Chinese community setting in Hong Kong.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore potential gender differences in the family history of older adults diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD).
• To understand the prevalence of cognitive impairment, stroke, and psychiatric disorders in the relatives of AD patients.
• To examine how gender influences the reporting of these conditions within families.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 69 older adults (aged 61-98) with mild or major neurocognitive disorder (AD or mixed AD/vascular types).
• Utilized the Uniform Data Set 3.0 to collect self-reported family history (parents, siblings, children) of neurocognitive and other disorders.
• Employed descriptive analysis with sample weighting, Chi-square, and multi-variable tests to assess gender differences.

Main Results:

• No significant gender differences were observed in parental history of cognitive impairment, stroke, or psychiatric disorders.
• Alzheimer's disease (AD) females showed a trend towards higher rates of stroke and psychiatric disorders in siblings (p < 0.10).
• AD females reported significantly higher rates of psychiatric disorders in their children compared to AD males (12.5% vs 0%, p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Nearly 40% of Chinese older adults with AD reported family history of neurocognitive/psychiatric disorders.
• Gender appears to play a role in the genetic and pathological transmission of neurological and psychiatric conditions within families.
• Findings highlight the importance of considering gender in understanding familial Alzheimer's disease risk.