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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A hormone that helps the thyroid gland function could be putting women at greater risk of developing Alzheimers Disease.
In a new study out of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, women with especially high or low levels of the hormone were found to be twice as likely to get Alzheimers than women with levels more in the middle range.
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The hormone, known as thyrotropin, is secreted by the pituitary gland, but helps regulate thyroid gland function and thyroid hormone levels. Doctors have long known an under- or over-active thyroid puts people at risk for dementia.
This study was conducted among nearly 1,900 people with an average age of 71 when the research began. No one showed signs of thinking or memory problems. Over nearly 13 years of follow up, 209 developed Alzheimers disease.
While women in the study were more likely to develop the condition when levels were high or low, no similar link was seen for men.
The researchers stopped short of saying high or low levels of thyrotropin cause Alzheimers Disease. However, they are trying to determine if Alzheimers affects hormone levels as the disease develops. They call for more study to confirm the results.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, published online July 28, 2008
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