In a new report certain to surprise many women, health researchers have determined a woman in her 60s is twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease as breast cancer. What's more, the new report by the Alzheimer's Association reveals a 65-year-old woman's odds of developing the memory-robbing disease is 1 in 6 — nearly double the 1-in-11 risk for a man.
The findings, contained in the Alzheimer's Association 2014 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report, are based on a survey of 3,102 American adults.
"We know that women are the epicenter of Alzheimer's disease, representing majority of both people with the disease and Alzheimer's caregivers. Alzheimer's Association Facts and Figures examines the impact of this unbalanced burden," said Angela Geiger, chief strategy officer of the Alzheimer's Association.
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"Well-deserved investments in breast cancer and other leading causes of death such as heart disease, stroke and HIV/AIDS have resulted in substantial decreases in death. Comparable investments are now needed to realize the same success with Alzheimer's in preventing and treating the disease."
More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, including 3.2 million women and 200,000 people under the age of 65. The incurable, brain-wasting disease not only affects those afflicted, but also entire families. About 15.5 million caregivers provide 17.7 billion hours of unpaid care in the U.S., often at the detriment of their own health, the association notes.
Alzheimer's and other causes of dementia cost the nation an estimated $214 billion this year, not including unpaid care given by family and friends — valued at more than $220 billion. In 2014, the cost to Dementia-related care also costs Medicare and Medicaid a combined $150 billion — nearly $1 of every $5 in Medicare spending alone.
Alzheimer's experts aren't sure just why the disease strikes more women than men. It could be because women live longer than men, and are more likely to reach an older age that poses a higher risk for the disease. Some research has also suggested that women's brain structures differ from men's, which may put them at increased risk, and that gender-related hormonal differences may have varying effects on the brain.
Medical News Today also recently reported that older women with diabetes and high estrogen levels are at higher risk of dementia. In addition, genetic differences may account for the disparity, with a key Alzheimer's gene — the so-called APOE-e4 gene —believed to be more pronounced in women than men.
But Geiger said more research is needed to identify causes, prevention strategies, and remedies, for the growing problem.
Among the report's other facts and figures:
- Every 67 seconds someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer's.
- The disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. But many experts believe that figure undercounts dementia-related deaths due to pneumonia and other conditions because death certificates record immediate causes of mortality, but not underlying causes.
- Of the 15.5 million Alzheimer's caregivers in the U.S., 63 percent are women. What's more, 2.5 times more women than men provide 24-hour care for a person with the disease.
- Nearly half of women caregivers (47 percent) consider their caregiving physically stressful, compared with 24 percent of men, while 62 percent of women said they found the role emotionally stressful, compared with 52 percent of men.
- Women reported more strained family relationships and lost employment opportunities than men as a result of their caregiving duties.
- Women are more concerned about developing Alzheimer's than men. When women were asked if they were "frightened" about the possibility of developing the disease, 58 percent said yes, compared with 43 percent of men.
- Alzheimer's rates and deaths will soar in coming decades as the baby boomers grow older. If current trends continue, 16 million Americans will be living with Alzheimer's in 2050, at a cost of $1.2 trillion to the nation and a 500 percent increase in combined Medicare and Medicaid spending.
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