Alzheimer’s in women remains dangerously underdiagnosed despite major breakthroughs in research and care, experts have told The National.
While science is transforming how the disease is managed, caregiver support and sex-specific diagnosis are still lagging behind – especially for women, who make up the majority of patients. Now a movement is building in Abu Dhabi to change that.
Hanan Sheikh Ibrahim, a staff physician in neurology at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Neurological Institute, said evolving science is transforming the way the illness is viewed.
“There is a revolution now in Alzheimer’s management,” she said. “It is no longer a terminal illness. It is a disease we can manage – and you can reduce the risk. Alzheimer’s is now detectable and up to 40 per cent preventable and manageable, but only if we detect it early.”
Her comments about the need to raise awareness on the issuewere made against the backdrop of World Alzheimer’s Day, taking place on Sunday, September 21.
Women at the epicentre – but often overlooked
Worldwide, at least 55 million people are believed to be living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
Dr Ibrahim said women are both more vulnerable and more likely to be overlooked for testing.
“For every three people with Alzheimer’s, two are women,” she said. “Yet women are diagnosed, on average, three years later than men. Millions are being missed worldwide because their early symptoms are dismissed as menopause or stress.”
This is not just a clinical gap – it is a structural blind spot, she said.
Why gender specific tools matter
Globally, the majority of Alzheimer’s research over the past century has been conducted in male animals or male-predominant cohorts.
As a result, the distinctive trajectories of women’s cognitive ageing have remained obscured – until now.
Women are at the epicentre of Alzheimer’s as patients, caregivers, and advocates. More than 60 per cent of family caregivers for dementia are women, and yet, they are also the ones most at risk for developing cognitive decline themselves.
Dr Ibrahim said that falling oestrogen levels during midlife create a “neuroendocrine inflection point” that affects the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex – regions critical for memory and multitasking.
“Menopause is not only about the ovaries,” she said. “It is a brain event. We now call it the ‘menopause brain’ because the changes extend to mood, sleep, memory and metabolism.”
Women often present with brain fog, slowed task-processing or difficulty multitasking, which can be confused with normal menopause.
“They feel ashamed, they think it is hormonal, and they delay getting checked,” she said. “Some are told ‘it’s all in your head’– and during those lost years, mild cognitive impairment can silently progress.”
Different biology, different tools
Dr Ibrahim said standard unisex memory tests can fail to pick up early disease in women.
“Women naturally have stronger verbal memory, so they outperform men and pass the test even when disease is present,” she said. “We now use female-specific questionnaires, blood biomarkers and imaging pathways to distinguish temporary menopausal brain fog from mild cognitive impairment, which is the reversible stage before dementia.
“For decades, animal and human studies were built on male models. Only in 2016 did the US National Institutes of Health mandate sex as a biological variable. When you research the wrong model, you get the wrong results.”
In response to these gaps, Abu Dhabi has become a pioneer.
At Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, clinicians are piloting the use of Female-Enhanced MCI Detection Tool (FEMCI) and Functional-Adjusted MCI Index (FAMCI), as part of a broader movement towards precision brain health for women.
Hormones and prevention
Oestrogen, she stated, acts as a buffer against memory loss, mood disorders, inflammation and even the way the brain uses energy.
“Oestrogen receptors are concentrated in the hippocampus, where memory is formed,” she said.
“When oestrogen drops suddenly, some women develop symptoms and some progress to disease, depending on their genes and other risk factors.”
Hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) can help some women if prescribed within a “window of opportunity” – about five to 10 years after menopause but must be carefully stratified.
“It is not a one-size-fits-all treatment,” Dr Ibrahim said. “A good menopause doctor must weigh the benefits for brain health against the risks for cancer or blood clots. Used correctly, oestrogen can support memory, multitasking and even metabolic health.”
Trials have shown that HRT may preserve brain volume and verbal memory if started early. Abu Dhabi’s clinicians are applying these findings in real-world care.
The bigger picture
She believes the UAE should launch a women’s brain health campaign as ambitious as its breast-cancer awareness drives.
“Alzheimer’s kills more women than breast cancer,” she said. “We have done a great job in preventing breast cancer and osteoporosis. Now we need the same urgency for women’s brain prevention. The earlier we intervene, the more lives we can protect.”
Abu Dhabi, she said, is uniquely positioned to lead the region and the world in this space.
With access to advanced brain imaging, cutting-edge biomarker labs, and culturally tailored digital tools, the city is setting a new global standard for how women’s cognitive health should be protected.
“We are building a new clinical model here,” Dr Ibrahim said. “It’s not just about treatment – it’s about early detection, empowerment, and redefining women’s health from the neck up.”
Five tips for women in midlife to be aware of
• Know your risk factors: family history, sleep apnoea, diabetes, autoimmunity
• Track your brain symptoms: memory changes, word-finding, task-switching
• Address hormonal transitions early: discuss HRT with a qualified provider
• Exercise your mind and body: movement, learning, language, and connection
• Do not delay testing: ask for a sex-specific cognitive evaluation
Dr Nasir Alzbeidi, chairman of the Mental Health Council at Sakina (SEHA) and consultant in geriatric psychiatry and cognitive neuropsychiatry at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, said early diagnosis remains critical even without a cure.
“Diagnosis matters,” he said. “It helps us predict, improve quality of life and safeguard patients and families. Education alone reduces psychological symptoms.”
While scientists still do not know why the disease strikes some people and spares others, powerful risk factors are clear: diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking, alcohol use, poor hearing or vision and low educational attainment. Controlling these can delay onset by decades.
“Getting Alzheimer’s at 60 instead of 85 is 25 extra years of quality life,” Dr Alzbeidi said.
New but limited treatments
Monoclonal antibody therapies now available in specialist centres target amyloid proteins in the brain and can slow decline by about 20 per cent. But they carry risks such as brain bleeds and must be administered by experienced teams.
Both doctors stressed that no single blood test or scan is definitive.
“A positive result on its own can be misleading,” Dr Alzbeidi said. “Reversible causes such as vitamin deficiency or thyroid problems must be ruled out meticulously before giving a life-changing label.”
Community gaps
Beyond medicine, the UAE needs to do more to support families.
“We need Alzheimer’s associations and volunteer-run support groups,” Dr Alzbeidi said. “Doctors have limitations. Families who have lived the journey can share invaluable advice. Other countries have had these networks for decades – we are a young nation and need to build them.”
The years Ramadan fell in MayHow to apply for a drone permit
Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
Submit their request
What are the regulations?
Fly it within visual line of sight
Never over populated areas
Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
Should have a live feed of the drone flight
Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem SuleimaniMore from Rashmee Roshan LallZayed Sustainability PrizeKilling of Qassem SuleimaniConflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
More from Neighbourhood WatchKilling of Qassem SuleimaniZayed Sustainability PrizeThe specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
FIGHT%20CARD
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFeatherweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EYousuf%20Ali%20(2-0-0)%20(win-loss-draw)%20v%20Alex%20Semugenyi%20(0-1-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBenyamin%20Moradzadeh%20(0-0-0)%20v%20Rohit%20Chaudhary%20(4-0-2)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EHeavyweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EYoussef%20Karrar%20(1-0-0)%20v%20Muhammad%20Muzeei%20(0-0-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMarwan%20Mohamad%20Madboly%20(2-0-0)%20v%20Sheldon%20Schultz%20(4-4-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20featherweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBishara%20Sabbar%20(6-0-0)%20v%20Mohammed%20Azahar%20(8-5-1)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECruiseweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMohammed%20Bekdash%20(25-0-0)%20v%20Musa%20N%E2%80%99tege%20(8-4-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20flyweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESultan%20Al%20Nuaimi%20(9-0-0)%20v%20Jemsi%20Kibazange%20(18-6-2)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELightweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBader%20Samreen%20(8-0-0)%20v%20Jose%20Paez%20Gonzales%20(16-2-2-)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pocketsLabour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
– Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Killing of Qassem SuleimaniKilling of Qassem Suleimani
Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (87′)
Athletic Bilbao 1
Williams (14′)
Killing of Qassem SuleimaniThe five pillars of IslamThe years Ramadan fell in MayPalestine’s statehood boost
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Read more about the coronavirusThe five pillars of IslamMore from Neighbourhood Watch:UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pocketsCOMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Floward%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdulaziz%20Al%20Loughani%20and%20Mohamed%20Al%20Arifi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EE-commerce%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbout%20%24200%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAljazira%20Capital%2C%20Rainwater%20Partners%2C%20STV%20and%20Impact46%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C200%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Neighbourhood Watch:COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sav%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Purvi%20Munot%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24750%2C000%20as%20of%20March%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Neighbourhood Watch:More on animal traffickingBanned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
Political flags or banners
Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: AF Senad, Nathan Crosse (jockey), Kareem Ramadan (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ashjaan, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Amirah, Conner Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yaasoob, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.
4pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jawaal, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri.
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Manhunter, Ryan Curatolo, Mujeeb Rahman.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANIMohammed bin Zayed MajlisMore on Quran memorisation:Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pocketsThe specs: 2018 GMC Terrain
Price, base / as tested: Dh94,600 / Dh159,700
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 353Nm @ 2,500rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.4L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pocketsKILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANIRacecard
7pm: Abu Dhabi – Conditions (PA) Dh 80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.30pm: Dubai – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m
8pm: Sharjah – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.30pm: Ajman – Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 2,200m
9pm: Umm Al Quwain – The Entisar – Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 2,000m
9.30pm: Ras Al Khaimah – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm: Fujairah – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,200m