Does Menopausal Hormone Therapy Raise Risk for Alzheimer Disease?

In a Finnish national observational study, modest elevations in AD risk do not imply causation by HT use.

Although sex hormones may influence the etiology of Alzheimer disease (AD) in women, studies addressing the effects of menopausal hormone therapy (HT) on AD risk have yielded conflicting data. Using national records, investigators in Finland identified 84,739 women with diagnoses of AD between 1999 and 2013, then matched them with the same number of control women (those without AD) during that period; HT use was also ascertained.

Women with AD diagnoses were more likely to have been former or current users of systemic HT than controls (18.6% vs. 17.0%, P<0.001). Increased risk for AD was modest and did not differ significantly among users of estradiol only (odds ratio, 1.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–1.14) and estrogen-progestin HT (OR, …

Reviewing Author

Andrew M. Kaunitz, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Grant/Research SupportMerck, Mithra, Medicines360

Editorial BoardsContraception; Menopause; Contraceptive Technology Update; OBG Management; Medscape OB/GYN & Women’s Health

Andrew M. Kaunitz, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Grant/Research SupportMerck, Mithra, Medicines360

Editorial BoardsContraception; Menopause; Contraceptive Technology Update; OBG Management; Medscape OB/GYN & Women’s Health

Does Menopausal Hormone Therapy Raise Risk for Alzheimer Disease?

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Reviewing Author