Alzheimer’s disease ‘develops differently according to gender’

A new study from the US has highlighted key differences in the way Alzheimer's disease develops between men and women.

The Medical University of South Carolina-led team assessed a group of more than 100 patients of mixed gender over a period of five years, during which all progressed from mild cognitive impairment to full cases of Alzheimer's.

Using magnetic resonance imaging, it was observed that women experienced greater atrophy in grey matter 12 months prior to and at the time of their Alzheimer's diagnosis than men.

However, males subsequently saw a more aggressive development of the disease over a shorter period of time, with both the extent and distribution of grey matter loss influenced strongly by gender.

Lead researcher Dr Maria Vittoria Spampinato, associate professor of radiology at the Medical University of South Carolina, said: "These differences should be taken into consideration when testing new drugs … Knowing the difference between the male and female patterns of atrophy will help researchers better decipher a patient's response to drug therapy."

Data from the Alzheimer's Society suggests that 62 percent of the 650,000 dementia cases in England are caused by Alzheimer's disease.