Anna Hartz
Hormone therapy has long been used to treat symptoms linked to menopause, but its possible effects on the brain remain a subject of research.
A new study suggests that women who used hormone therapy later in life may have had a lower risk of dementia and fewer signs of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain.
Large research databases
The study was published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers found an association between hormone therapy and better brain health, but they say the results should not be used as a reason for women to start treatment, reports El Economista.
The study looked at medical records from two large research databases. Together, they included 21,462 women who had taken part in clinical studies during their lives.
Researchers had brain scan or biomarker information for 728 women in one group. Another 2,959 women had their brains examined after death. The women who underwent autopsies were an average of 82 years old.
The participants were followed for about three to five years. Of the total group, 1,953 women had used hormone therapy, while 19,509 had not.
The researchers focused on women who had received estrogen-only therapy. Previous research has suggested that hormone treatment combining estrogen and progestin can have different effects on dementia risk.
35 percent less likely to show signs
Among women who had autopsies, those who had used hormone therapy showed fewer signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers looked for three common signs. These were beta-amyloid plaques, tau tangles and damaged nerve cells surrounding amyloid plaques.
About 18 percent of hormone therapy users had no signs of Alzheimer’s disease in their brains. That compared with 10 percent of women who had not used hormone therapy.
At the same time, 40 percent of hormone therapy users had all three signs of the disease. The figure was 51 percent among women who had not used hormone therapy.
After taking factors such as age, education, genetics and high blood pressure into account, hormone therapy users were 35 percent less likely to show signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
Hormone therapy was also linked to a 39 percent lower chance of receiving a dementia diagnosis.
However, the researchers stress that the findings do not prove that hormone therapy prevents dementia.
The women in the study started treatment at an average age of 70. Today, hormone therapy is generally started between 40 and 50 and is often stopped before age 60.
Study author Jennifer Bruno said more research is needed before doctors can make recommendations about hormone therapy and brain health.
