WASHINGTON, DC - WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s, the first and only national network of women organized to speed the pace of research and build momentum in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease - today called for more sex-based research into the disparate impact of Alzheimer’s disease on women in light of a new report that confirmed that women are more than two times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than men.
The WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s Network represents women from 35 states with leadership positions in business, science, civic, public policy, nonprofit and other organizations. Among its goals is harnessing the power of women to support much needed sex-based research that can help to unlock the root causes of Alzheimer’s disparate impact on women.
Trish Vradenburg, Co-Founder of both USAgainstAlzheimer’s and its WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s Network released the following statement in response to the report:
“I was relieved that finally the real numbers of deaths due to Alzheimer’s were out; then, I realized that I would probably be one of them. Women develop the disease at higher rates and are more than two times likely than men to serve as caregivers to our loved ones who suffer from the disease. It is about time that we women become engaged and enraged at the status quo and mobilize to insist on increased sex-based research.”
Meryl Comer, Co-Founder of the WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s Network and an Alzheimer’s caregiver to both her mother and husband also released the following statement:
“Nearly as many women die of Alzheimer's each year as from breast and ovarian cancer combined. When faced with those facts, our call for increased Alzheimer’s research funding and our sex-based research agenda is a no-brainer. My greatest fear is that mine will be the family next door in the next decade if we don't take a stand.”
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WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s
WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s is the first national network of women in leadership positions driving to speed the pace of research and to build momentum to end Alzheimer’s disease. The WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s network was launched by the USAgainstAlzheimer’s Network, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing organizations and individuals with the information they need to effectively communicate about Alzheimer's to the general public, policy leaders, and the media. For more information about the USAgainstAlzheimer’s Network, please visit http://www.
USAgainstAlzheimer's
USAgainstAlzheimer’s is an entrepreneurial and disruptive organization demanding a solution to Alzheimer's by 2020. Driven by the suffering of millions of families, USAgainstAlzheimer's presses for greater urgency from government, industry and the scientific community in the quest for an Alzheimer's cure -- accomplishing this through effective leadership, collaborative advocacy, and strategic investments. For more information, visitwww.usagainstalzheimers.org.