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. 2012:8:555-60.
doi: 10.2147/NDT.S36622. Epub 2012 Nov 21.

Reproductive life events and Alzheimer's disease in Italian women: a retrospective study

Chiara Zucchella  1 , Elena Sinforiani, Antonietta Citterio, Valentina Giarracca, Giorgio Bono, Marco Mauri
Affiliations

Reproductive life events and Alzheimer's disease in Italian women: a retrospective study

Chiara Zucchella et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2012.

Abstract

The aim of our study was to understand the complex relationship between the major reproductive life events in women with Alzheimer's disease. In a retrospective, case-control study, 275 women with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 276 control patients from a hospital population were enrolled from July 2007 to December 2010. The AD patients presented with later menopause (P < 0.01), lower occurrence of surgical menopause (P < 0.04), reduced hormone-replacement therapy intake (P < 0.0001), and a longer reproductive life span (P < 0.01), compared to controls. No significant differences were found with respect to age at puberty, number of pregnancies, previous abortions, or contraceptive therapy. A higher education level appeared to have a protective role against the risk of developing AD. In women, menopause and hormone-replacement therapy can differentially modulate the clinical manifestations of AD, but these factors do not play a predictive role in its development.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; education; gender; hormone-replacement therapy; menopause; surgical menopause.

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