The study does not support the role of estrogen for the treatment of this disease. According to background information cited in the study, several reports from small clinical trials have suggested that estrogen replacement therapy may be useful for the treatment of AD in women, but this study was conducted for a longer period and enrolled more women than past studies. On the 7-point CGIC scale, the average score for those participants receiving estrogen was 5.1 and the average score for those receiving placebo was 5.0. The researchers also found no significant difference between those women who received estrogen therapy and those who received a placebo in scores that measured mood, memory, attention, language skills, motor function and activities of daily living. The only scale that showed a significant difference between the estrogen and placebo groups was the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale, which associated receiving estrogen with worsening performance.
Women appear to be at higher risk for developing AD, only in part due to increased longevity.
Because women with AD also live longer than men with AD, there are approximately twice as many women as men in the population with this disorder. Any question regarding a medical diagnosis, treatment, referral, drug availability or pricing should be directed to either a licensed physician or to the product's manufacturer.