Differentiating Factors in Alzheimer's Disease: Gender, Ethnicity, Clinical and Treatment - Chapter 2 - Sex and gender differences in Alzheimer's disease

Sex and gender differences in the incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia may depend on the time and geographical region. Low education has consistently been associated with an increased risk of AD dementia for both women and men. Depression is linked to higher dementia risk in both women and men and women are twofold more likely to have depression. Regular exercise may prevent and/or retard the progression of brain disorder. Furthermore, the benefits of exercise on AD risk may be due to direct effects on the neuropathological hallmarks of AD and neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory. APOE4 affects women and men differently. Women with APOE4 are more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment or AD than men with APOE4. Priority areas that merit further investigation include sex differences in risk factors and disease progression in racial and ethnic subgroups and differences in the response to current Alzheimer's therapeutics and those in clinical development. Unless sex differences in longevity diminish, women will continue to make up a large proportion of Alzheimer's patients.