Alzheimer’s disease: hormone therapy linked to small risk increase

A research team in Finland has revealed that long-term use of oral hormone therapy may be associated with a small increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease in postmenopausal women. The researchers have stressed that the absolute risk is small (9–18 extra cases per 10,000 women per year) and the age at which hormone therapy is started has no bearing on future risk. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is commonly offered to women to help relieve the symptoms of menopause. Previous research has provided mixed results with HRT and Alzheimer’s, as some observational studies have linked the treatment to a reduced risk of...