Researchers confirmed a link between the use of menopause hormonal therapies and dementia and Alzheimer's, but they could not determine the cause, according to a study published June 28 in BMJ.
The study adds on to past research that found an increased dementia risk among women between 60 and 65 years old who took menopausal hormone therapy. The newest findings are the first to broaden knowledge of this association with factors including type of hormone treatment, duration of use and age at the treatment's usage.
Among nearly 30,000 Danish women, the researchers found a positive association between the therapy and all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease — "even in women who received treatment at the age of 55 years or younger," they wrote. The higher risk of dementia was similar between continuous and cyclic treatment.
"Further studies are warranted to determine whether these findings represent an actual effect of menopausal hormone therapy on dementia risk, or whether they reflect an underlying predisposition in women in need of these treatments," the authors wrote in conclusion.