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Researchers: Estrogen may help Alzheimer's sufferers keep their memory
November 20, 1996
Web posted at: 11:00 p.m. ESTFrom Correspondent Linda Ciampa
ATLANTA (CNN) -- A new study may provide hope for millions of women who suffer memory loss due to Alzheimer's Disease.
According to the study, estrogen therapy may help Alzheimer's suffers keep their memories, says Dr. Sanjay Asthana, who carried out the experiment with colleagues at the U.S. department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Washington.
"The results ... demonstrate that the women who received estrogen had significant improvement in their ability to remember things while they were on estrogen compared to when they were not on the drug," said Asthana, who is a geriatrician.
Researchers presented the data Wednesday at a neuroscience conference in Washington.
In the study, eight weeks of estrogen therapy was given through a patch to six women with Alzheimer's disease. Another group of six women who have the disease got a placebo.
Neurological tests showed the women who received the estrogen had improved memory, were more attentive and had better concentration while they took the hormone. The benefits diminished when they stopped taking estrogen, Asthana said.
Asthana said he got the idea for the experiment after seeing a recent report that women who take estrogen replacement therapy for at least 10 years after menopause reduce the risk of Alzheimer's by as much as 40 percent.
The current research is considered preliminary. A larger study is planned to see whether estrogen will not only help with the symptoms of Alzheimer's, but with the disease itself.
"There is some research now looking at different treatments that might modify the disease course," said Dr. Alexander Auchus of Emory University. "Meaning the patient, instead of declining quickly over a number of years, may decline slowly, which would keep them out of nursing homes."
Women have taken estrogen for years to ease the symptoms of menopause. Previous studies have shown the hormone prevents bone loss and heart disease, but it increases the risk of breast and uterine cancer
"There are some risks associated with it and some women should not be on it, Auchus said.
But for those women who are good candidates for estrogen therapy, it appears the drug may not only benefit the bones and the heart, but it may also help the mind.
Related stories:
- Getting a handle on Alzheimer's - November 17, 1996
- Study concludes that nicotine may prevent Alzheimer's disease - October 22, 1996
- Modified mouse helps Alzheimer's research - October 3, 1996
- Study: Estrogen may shield women from Alzheimer's - August 15, 1996
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