Hormone replacement therapy and its association with LATE‐NC in older adults
Yohana M. Kim, Katherine Colcord, S. Ahmad Sajjadi, Elizabeth J. Andrews, Julie A. Schneider, Claudia H. Kawas, Maria M. CorradaAbstract
INTRODUCTION
Limbic‐predominant age‐related transactive response DNA‐binding protein 43 (TDP‐43) encephalopathy neuropathological change (LATE‐NC) is a cause of dementia resembling Alzheimer's disease (AD). The 90+ Study found women using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) two to three decades before death had lower odds of LATE‐NC. We attempted to replicate this finding in a different cohort.
METHODS
Participants ( n = 2056) included males ( n = 640) and females ( n = 1416) aged ≥65 from the Religious Orders Study and Memory and Aging Project with HRT and neuropathology data. We examined the association between HRT and LATE‐NC in males and females and between HRT‐related and reproductive variables in relation to LATE‐NC in females using logistic regression.
RESULTS
HRT use within 5 years before or after menopause (odds ratio [OR] = 0.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.50 to 0.98, p = 0.03) or for 8 to 16 years (OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.24 to 0.79, p = 0.006) was associated with lower odds of LATE‐NC.
DISCUSSION
This finding identifies a potential factor related to LATE risk and highlights the importance of HRT timing and duration for its potential neuroprotective effects.