Sex and Gender in Alzheimer’s Disease–Does it Matter?

In a recently published article, Mayo clinician researcher Michelle Mielke, PhD, discusses issues surrounding the benefits and drawbacks of studying sex and gender differences in the etiology, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of Alzheimer’s Disease at all levels, including basic science studies, clinical research, and clinical trials.  She and her co-authors take on the long-standing question of whether the modest understandings gained from studying sex differences in the disease, where, in the U.S., the incidence of AD dementia does not significantly differ between men and women, outweigh the research burdens of doubling the participant pool, lengthening the time of studies, and increasing costs.  ARTICLE