Alzheimer’s far more likely than breast cancer in women over 60
Dr. Lane: Women over 60 have a 1 in 6 chance of getting Alzheimer’s disease
60% of Alzheimer’s caregivers are women, according to a new report
The cost of Alzheimer’s care is estimated at $214 billion this year alone
Every 67 seconds, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer’s
Women age 60 and older have a 1 in 6 chance of getting Alzheimer’s disease in their lifetime, and are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s compared with breast cancer, according to a report from the Alzheimer’s Association.
Men, by comparison, have a 1 in 11 chance of getting Alzheimer’s, according to the 2014 Facts and Figures report.
Age is the greatest risk factor for gender differences among Alzheimer’s patients, but it’s not the only reason. Researchers are also looking at genetic and hormonal differences, according to Maria Carrillo, vice president of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer’s Association.
The disease affects more than 5 million Americans, two-thirds of them women. The new details about this disease and its impact on women come from a survey of more than 3,000 women commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Association.
Can you avoid Alzheimer’s?
While two well-established risk factors for Alzheimer’s are genetics and aging, “there is hope that adopting healthy brain life habits might delay or prevent the appearance of Alzheimer’s disease,” the association says. Here are some tips:
Stay physically active to maintain good blood flow to the brain and encourage new brain cells.
Eat a “brain-healthy diet” low in fat and cholesterol.
Stay social to reduce stress levels and maintain healthy brain cell connections.
Stay mentally active to strengthen brain cells and the connections between them.
Overwhelming burden, cost of Alzheimer’s to triple
Women are also disproportionately affected when it comes to caring for people with Alzheimer’s. Sixty percent of caregivers are women and the care they give is more intense, physically and emotionally, according to the annual report.
Women are more likely to provide round-the-clock care, including feeding, clothing and diapering, says Carrillo. The average length of time an Alzheimer’s patient requires 24-hour care is four to seven years, but could be as long as 20 years.
The cost of Alzheimer’s care is estimated to be $214 billion for this year alone.“We wish we had expensive treatments to brag about, but we don’t, so it’s important to highlight that research funding and research commitments are critical for us to change that balance,” Carrillo says.
In the future, she says, she hopes she’ll be talking about the cost of treatments rather than the cost of care. Mortality rates for other diseases, like breast cancer, are dropping, but the rate of Alzheimer’s deaths is on the rise.
Alzheimer’s toll may rank with cancer, heart disease
The impact on women disproportionately extends to the workplace as well, where 20% of women, as compared with 3% of men, switch from full-time to part-time work because of their responsibilities as caregivers.
Additionally, women are more likely to take a leave of absence from work or stop working altogether. They also report feeling more isolated and depressed than their male counterparts.
Another surprise from the report, although not specific to women: 24% of women and men mistakenly believe they are only at risk for Alzheimer’s disease if they have a family member with it. The cultural breakdown is surprising as well, as 33% of Hispanics held this mistaken belief and nearly half of Asians did.
“You can do everything ‘right’ and still not prevent Alzheimer’s,” according to the association’s website. Risk factors for Alzheimer’s include genetics and aging, which are out of your control.
However, adopting what the association calls “healthy brain life habits” may help delay or prevent the appearance of the disease. Those habits include staying mentally, socially and physically active and adopting a “brain-healthy diet” low in fat and cholesterol.
Women can also reduce some risk factors by watching their numbers, Carrillo says. That includes blood sugar levels if diabetic, blood pressure and cholesterol.
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