Authors: Dr. Fred H. Previc
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is twice as likely to occur in females as males, and it is also linked to vestibular impairment, especially if spatial symptoms predominate. Given large-scale epidemiological data showing a two-fold greater prevalence in females for most vestibular disorders, the greater prevalence of AD in females could be linked to their greater prevalence of clinical vestibular dysfunction, although there are also sex differences in vestibularly mediated cognitive abilities in normals. Preliminary evidence suggests that the percentage of vestibular impairment in AD patients with predominant loss of topographical and other spatial abilities is similar in males and females. This and other evidence suggest that the overall greater prevalence of AD in females may be more due to their greater susceptibility to vestibular disorders rather than to normal differences in vestibular-mediated cognitive abilities associated with AD.
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