A new study suggests that women who use a popular menopausal treatment later in life may be at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition affecting about 7 million Americans.
Researchers from Mass General Bigram found that women treated with hormone replacement therapy in the sixties were most likely to develop Alzheimer’s in their 1970s.
The most common type of madness, Alzheimer’s is caused by a construction of amyloid protein in the brain, with risk factors, including age, family history, unhealthy living behaviors and certain medical conditions.
The results of the study, published in Science Advanances, found that women over 70 years old who received menopause therapy There was faster Tau accumulation, a protein that occurs of course helps stabilize nerve cells.
Along with another protein, beta amyloid, Tau can be built into the brain and disturb the function of cells. Abnormal Tau clusters called neurofibrillar tangles are a distinctive sign of Alzheimer’s.
The women who had received HRT had higher levels of plaque compared to their peers who had never received it.
Further, researchers found that young women who stopped taking HRT in the 1950s and in the early 1960s did not show the same risk.
Based on these findings, the team notes that women who have been menopause for more than ten years without treatment should not be prescribed HRT.
“Approximately a quarter of women currently after menopause who are 70 years old and older have a history of HT use and now have entered a critical age of Alzheimer’s disease,” said high author Rachel F. Buckley, PhD, of the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“Our findings add to the evidence that delaying the onset of HT, especially in older women, can lead to Alzheimer’s worst results.”
About twice as many women have Alzheimer’s disease than men.
Experts believe that while some of this may be because women live longer on average, the decline in estrogen levels that occurs during menopause can also play a role, given that estrogen is essential for cognitive function.
For the latest study, researchers recruited 146 women, with an average age ranging from 51 to 89 at the beginning of the study. The team compared the brain image of 73 women who used hormone therapy on average 14 years ago and 73 they did not have.
Pet scanning was used to check for amiloide beta and Tau tangles.
Women over 70 years old who used hormone therapy demonstrated faster Tau construction in brain -related memory -related areas compared to women of the same age who did not use treatment.
Tau accumulation associated with cognitive decline was only exposed to HT users, indicating that Tau Cuktup contributes to cognitive damage.
It is interesting that in women under 70, the use of HT seemed to be protected against the construction of the Tau in the brain-related areas of memory, with no important cognitive issues reported in non-users.
The team is unsafe if the fastest construction on old HT users is due to when they started therapy or if older patients naturally exhibit more Tau construction on PET scans.
The current clinical instruction claims that HT should be started within 10 years after a woman’s age in menopause to avoid harmful effects.
“Our findings add to the evidence that delaying the onset of HT, especially in older women, can lead to Alzheimer’s worst results. Hopefully our study will help inform the risk of women’s health and reproductive treatment,” said Dr Gillian Coughlan, the first author of the study.
There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s, but certain medications can help slow down the cognitive decline that is characteristic of the disease.
Cognitive estimates, brain scans and blood tests are often used to diagnose Alzheimer because no single test is final.
Studies have shown six lifestyle habits – exercises, not drinking or smoking, taking enough sleep, accompanying and having hobbies – can reduce your risk of developing dementia.
#Common #menopausal #drugs #exacerbate #Alzheimers #women
Image Source : nypost.com