Women need their own Alzheimer’s test, says study

Researchers say that finer verbal skills can mask symptoms of the disease and make diagnosis harder

AN ALZHEIMER’S test specifically for women should be developed, scientists have said, after a study found superior female verbal skills disguise the onset of the disease.

Research in Chicago revealed doctors are less likely to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in women than in men.

The imbalance means that female patients appear to deteriorate more quickly after diagnosis – when in fact they have been already been suffering for some time.

Women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s, making up 65per cent of patients in the UK.

Researchers at the University of Illinois said their study showed that sexspecific tests should be developed.

Currently, verbal and memory tests are an important tool for diagnosing Alzheimer’s.

These can involve asking the patients to remember the name of a common object and asking them to repeat it a few minutes later, as well as drawing the numbers correctly onto the face of a clock and a specified time.

However, women typically score better in verbal tests, and the research indicates they retain this ability even while dementia is taking hold.

Presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, the trial of around 1,300 patients of both sexes showed that women scored better than men while blood tests showed the disease was at a moderate and low stage, but lost their advantage once it became more severe.

Diagnosing Alzheimer’s early can give patients the chance to undergo treatments capable of slowing down progression or even temporarily improving symptoms.

Dr Pauline Maki, who led the research, said: “These findings may help to explain why women show a more rapid decline across a wide range of cognitive abilities after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

“While female advantage may be functionally beneficial, it could mask early stages of Alzheimer’s, resulting in a more severe burden of disease at the time of diagnosis, with more rapid deterioration thereafter.”

At the same conference, evidence was also presented suggesting that multiple childbirth can help protect women from Alzheimer’s in later life.

Analysis of nearly 15,000 women found those who had given birth to three or more children had a 12 per cent lower risk of dementia compared with women with one child.

Dr Tim Shakespeare, a research information manager at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This study suggests that this stronger recall in women may mask early symptoms of dementia.

“Taking this into consideration could help identify dementia early on, so women don’t slip through the dementia diagnosis net.”