Age at onset of dementia and age of menopause in women with Down’s syndrome

Menstrual status and the age of menopause were investigated in 143 Irish females with Down syndrome (DS). The average age of menopause in 42 subjects (44.7 years) was younger than in the general population. The age at onset of dementia correlated with the age of menopause. This finding may be a manifestation of accelerated aging in DS or point to estrogen deficiency being an independent risk factor for the development of Alzheimer’s dementia in DS. There are implications of this finding for possible treatments.

Source: M. P. Cosgrave, J. Tyrrell, M. McCarron, M. Gill, B. A. Lawlor. Age at onset of dementia and age of menopause in women with Down’s syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 1999, 43(6), 461-465.