Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Alzheimer Disease Risk
Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Alzheimer Disease Risk
During a 20-year period, Finnish investigators sent questionnaires every 5 years to all women in their 40s and 50s who resided in one province. National registry data was used to identify cases of Alzheimer Disease. Among this cohort of over 8000 women, incident Alzheimer Disease was diagnosed in 227.
Investigators found that more than 10 years of Hormone Replacement Therapy was associated with a statistically significant 40%-50% reduction in incidence of Alzheimer Disease.
The findings of this Finnish population-based, prospective cohort study are congruent with those of a US study that was conducted in a single county in Utah and used similar methodology. The Cache County study also reported that if initiated within 5 years of menopause and continued for more than 10 years, Hormone Replacement Therapy was associated with a reduced risk for Alzheimer Disease.
The Earlier You Start After Menopause the Better
The timing or critical window hypothesis posits that Hormone Replacement Therapy exerts beneficial effects when initiated soon after menopause. Recent trials, including the Women’s Health Initiative and ELITE, have provided evidence strongly supporting this timing hypothesis with respect to coronary heart disease and Hormone Replacement Therapy.
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