A research study conducted at The University Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands claims that women have an increased risk of certain neurological health problems including stroke, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. The study was conducted over the course 26 years, which involved 12,102 female and male participants. Researchers state that the study participants were less than 45 years old and did not have dementia or Parkinson’s disease, nor had experienced a stroke when the study began.

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Women twice as likely to develop dementia, Parkinson’s disease or a stroke

A new study from the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry has found that one out of every two women and one out of every three men will develop dementia, have Parkinson’s disease, or experience a stroke during their lifetime. Learn more about the study and the lifetime risk of these conditions.

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Throughout the study:

1,489 participants were diagnosed with dementia
1,285 had a stroke
263 were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease

When compared with the male participants in the study, women were nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with both dementia and a stroke in their lifetime.

Researchers were unable to conclude why women had an increased risk for developing the conditions, but study authors maintain that “Preventative strategies that delay the disease onset by one to three years could theoretically reduce the lifetime risk of developing any of these diseases by 20-30%.”

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Half of Women Will Develop Dementia, Parkinson's Disease, or a Stroke, Study Says

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Women twice as likely to develop dementia, Parkinson’s disease or a stroke

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