A new study has suggested that anxious, jealous, or moody women are likelier to suffer from Alzheimer later in life.
Lena Johannsson, PhD, of the University of Gothenburg in Gothenburg, Sweden, said that most Alzheimer's research had been devoted to factors such as education, heart and blood risk factors, head trauma, family history and genetics and personality may influence the individual's risk for dementia through its effect on behavior, lifestyle or reactions to stress.
The study conducted at University of Gothenburg in Gothenburg, Sweden examined 800 women with an average age of 46 and were followed for 38 years and given personality tests that looked at their level of neuroticism and extraversion or introversion, along with memory tests. Of those, 19 percent developed dementia.
Women were also asked if they had experienced any period of stress that lasted one month or longer in their work, health, or family situation. Stress referred to feelings of irritability, tension, nervousness, fear, anxiety or sleep disturbances.
The study found that women who scored highest on the tests for neuroticism had double the risk of developing dementia compared to those who scored lowest on the tests. However, the link depended on long-standing stress.
The study is published online in the issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
