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Women over 90 more likely to suffer from dementia

03/07/2008

Women over 90 are significantly more likely to have dementia than men of the same age, research claims.

A report by the University of California published today looking at the 90-plus age group in the United States says there are considerable differences between the two sexes.

The age group is the fasting growing segment of the country's population, with nearly 2 million nonagenarians in the US, a figure which is expected to rise to between ten and 12 million by the middle of the century.

The study by the university examined 911 people over the age of 90 and found 45 per cent of the women had dementia, compared to 28 per cent of the men.

"Our findings show that more will need to be done to provide adequate resources to care for the increasing number of very old people with dementia," said Maria Corrada, the study's corresponding author.

The report found that the likelihood of having dementia doubled every five years in women after reaching 90, but not in men.

Women with a higher education are also 45 per cent less likely to have dementia than less educated women.

The prevalence of dementia in women is even more significant considering they make three-quarters of the 90-plus population in the US.

"Our findings provide valuable information toward further inquiries into dementia, such as if oldest-old men can live as long with dementia as oldest-old women do, or whether in this age group women develop dementia at a higher rate than men," Ms Corrada concluded.