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‘First sign of Alzheimer’s disease’ in women overlooked as just a brain fog
Recognizing early signs of Alzheimer’s disease is crucial for medical intervention as soon as possible to prevent it from developing.
It is a disorder that affects the brain cells, thus destroying memory and thinking skills making daily tasks challenging. A new study has now identified the “first sign of Alzheimer’s disease” in women following an extensive analysis of features in the blood of 503 participants.
‘Good cholesterol’ linked to Alzheimer’s disease
The brain disorder generally affects aged persons and its symptoms can manifest in various forms regardless of gender.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh analyzed the cognitive function of participants involved in the Study of Womens Health Across the Nation (SWAN)�from 2000 to 2016, to understand the impact of “good cholesterol” on their thinking skills as they aged.
The study states that high levels of HDL-C – known as the good cholesterol have been shown to correlate with�a heightened risk for Alzheimers disease.
The good cholesterol particles can vary in size, composition, and level of functioning, whose quality declines in women during the menopause transition.
As smaller-sized good cholesterol particles are said to function better, women who had it at higher levels “experience better episodic memory later in life.”
First sign of the brain disorder in women
The study further established that the number of larger HDL or good cholesterol particles increased in women over time. This can cause “loss of working memory�” – the first sign of Alzheimers disease in females.
Psychology Today defines working memory as a form of memory that allows a person to “temporarily hold a limited amount of information at the ready for immediate mental use.”
This could include recollecting an earlier sentence, remembering where certain objects are placed, or being able to hold different numbers in mind while doing simple math.
As good cholesterol doesn’t protect the brain as you age, researchers recommend sticking to certain habits and lifestyles to boost brain health, including physical activity, ideal body weight, and quitting smoking.
Meanwhile, another study led by researchers at�NIH National Institute on Aging found that Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain in two phases.
The first symptom happens slowly and silently, when the condition starts to damage the brain cells, much before the patient begins to experience memory loss.
The second stage is more brutal; the damage it causes is “widely destructive”. The latter coincides with the appearance of more obvious symptoms such as changes in behavior, reasoning difficulties, inability to communicate, and more.
