BACKGROUND: Repetitive head trauma is an identified risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The violence in wife assault is repetitive and targets the head. This association provides a rationale for studying the relationship between spousal abuse and AD. DESIGN: To preliminarily evaluate the possibility of an increased susceptibility for AD in women subjected to spousal abuse and to identify challenges associated with such a study, we performed a pilot case-control study involving women with AD and compared the incidence of spousal abuse against two control groups. Forty consecutive women with AD referred to a Memory Disorders Clinic were enrolled. Individuals were evaluated at three visits (0, 3, 9 months) and were followed for an additional 12 months to ensure that no other diagnosis emerged. Two control groups were likewise assessed. RESULTS: 17.5% (7/40) of the women (average age 71 years) with AD reported spousal abuse with head trauma. In control group 1, 5.0% (2/40) and in control group 2, 7.5% (3/40) of the women reported spousal abuse with head trauma. CONCLUSIONS: The development of AD may be a potential long-term consequence of wife assault. Our study suggests spousal abuse as a possible risk factor for AD, and supports the need for larger studies. However, there are practical challenges associated with the successful execution of such a study.
BACKGROUND:Repetitive head trauma is an identified risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The violence in wife assault is repetitive and targets the head. This association provides a rationale for studying the relationship between spousal abuse and AD. DESIGN: To preliminarily evaluate the possibility of an increased susceptibility for AD in women subjected to spousal abuse and to identify challenges associated with such a study, we performed a pilot case-control study involving women with AD and compared the incidence of spousal abuse against two control groups. Forty consecutive women with AD referred to a Memory Disorders Clinic were enrolled. Individuals were evaluated at three visits (0, 3, 9 months) and were followed for an additional 12 months to ensure that no other diagnosis emerged. Two control groups were likewise assessed. RESULTS: 17.5% (7/40) of the women (average age 71 years) with AD reported spousal abuse with head trauma. In control group 1, 5.0% (2/40) and in control group 2, 7.5% (3/40) of the women reported spousal abuse with head trauma. CONCLUSIONS: The development of AD may be a potential long-term consequence of wife assault. Our study suggests spousal abuse as a possible risk factor for AD, and supports the need for larger studies. However, there are practical challenges associated with the successful execution of such a study.
Authors: Carrie Esopenko; Jessica Meyer; Elisabeth A Wilde; Amy D Marshall; David F Tate; Alexander P Lin; Inga K Koerte; Kimberly B Werner; Emily L Dennis; Ashley L Ware; Nicola L de Souza; Deleene S Menefee; Kristen Dams-O'Connor; Dan J Stein; Erin D Bigler; Martha E Shenton; Kathy S Chiou; Judy L Postmus; Kathleen Monahan; Brenda Eagan-Johnson; Paul van Donkelaar; Tricia L Merkley; Carmen Velez; Cooper B Hodges; Hannah M Lindsey; Paula Johnson; Andrei Irimia; Matthew Spruiell; Esther R Bennett; Ashley Bridwell; Glynnis Zieman; Frank G Hillary Journal: Brain Imaging Behav Date: 2021-01-06 Impact factor: 3.978
Authors: Felix S Meier-Stephenson; Vanessa C Meier-Stephenson; Michael D Carter; Autumn R Meek; Yanfei Wang; Luzhe Pan; Qiangwei Chen; Sheila Jacobo; Fan Wu; Erhu Lu; Gordon A Simms; Laural Fisher; Alaina J McGrath; Virgil Fermo; Christopher J Barden; Harman D S Clair; Todd N Galloway; Arun Yadav; Valérie Campágna-Slater; Mark Hadden; Mark Reed; Marcia Taylor; Brendan Kelly; Elena Diez-Cecilia; Igri Kolaj; Clarissa Santos; Imindu Liyanage; Braden Sweeting; Paul Stafford; Robert Boudreau; G Andrew Reid; Ryan S Noyce; Leanne Stevens; Agnieszka Staniszewski; Hong Zhang; Mamidanna R V S Murty; Pascale Lemaire; Solenne Chardonnet; Christopher D Richardson; Valérie Gabelica; Edwin DePauw; Richard Brown; Sultan Darvesh; Ottavio Arancio; Donald F Weaver Journal: Alzheimers Dement (N Y) Date: 2022-04-06