Primary Submission Category: Aging
Sex and Gender Differences in Risk Scores for Mid- and Late-Life Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Brooke Brady Lidan Zheng Scherazad Kootar Kaarin Anstey
Presenting Author: Brooke Brady*
Few studies have explored sex and gender differences in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and dementia risk, despite compelling evidence that sex and gender can independently impact health. This study aimed to explore evidence for overall sex and gender differences in AD and dementia risk during mid-life and late-life. Observational data were drawn from the 2019 Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System. A matched-cohort approach was used to develop sex- and gender identity-based cohorts for comparison. Dementia and AD risk scores were calculated using established mid-life and late-life risk score algorithms (CAIDE, LIBRA and ANU-ADRI) and available data. Compared to those assigned female at birth, those assigned male at birth had higher mid-life dementia risk assessed using the CAIDE tool, higher mid-to-late-life dementia risk based on the LIBRA tool, and lower overall late-life AD risk based on the ANU-ADRI. No gender differences in mid or mid-to-late-life dementia risk could be detected. However, gender differences were present in late-life AD risk. Post-hoc comparisons revealed that transgender men, transgender women, and non-binary adults had higher overall late-life Alzheimer’s Disease risk compared to both cisgender men and cisgender women. There may be unique sex and gender differences in mid-life and late-life dementia and AD risk. Future research is needed to build the evidence base for gender differences in specific risk factors, particularly those that may be contributing to higher overall risk among understudied and underserved gender groups.