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New Banner Health research study finds women at greater risk for Alzheimer's disease

Sun City West Independent - 9/21/2016

Banner Sun Health Research Institute, an international leader in the effort to find answers to aging disorders including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, released results from a study showing that females are affected more severely by Alzheimer's disease than their male counterparts.

The findings surpass previous studies and indicate gender difference have been underestimated for years. The study is published in the "Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology's" August edition, the official journal of the American Association of Neuropathologists, Inc.

The longitudinal study led by Banner Sun Health researchers Geidy E. Serrano, PhD, and Thomas G. Beach, MD, used clinical and autopsy data to explore Alzheimer's severity between males and females in more than 1,000 subjects. The findings suggest that females progress more often to severe cognitive dysfunction, due to a more severe degeneration, and greater loss of nervous brain tissue.

According to Banner Sun Health researchers, early detection is key. Women should start taking preventative measures decades earlier and should be aware of Alzheimer's risk factors at ages earlier than men. To help identify risk factors and increase awareness, Banner Health offers classes that are designed to help identify and reduce risks factors associated with early onset Alzheimer's disease. Classes are open to the public.

Visit www.bannerhealth.com/calendar.