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.”
Killing of Qassem SuleimaniMohammed bin Zayed MajlisKilling of Qassem SuleimaniChanging visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that’s changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch – 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:Zayed Sustainability PrizeUAE currency: the story behind the money in your pocketsThe years Ramadan fell in MayUAE currency: the story behind the money in your pocketsKilling of Qassem SuleimaniDespacito’s dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
The years Ramadan fell in MayThe 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
Mohammed bin Zayed MajlisCompany profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANINeil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Zayed Sustainability PrizeKILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANIMohammed bin Zayed MajlisCOMPANY%20PROFILE
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2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Final: UAE beat Qatar by nine wickets
Third-place play-off: Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by five runs
Table
1 UAE 5 5 0 10
2 Qatar 5 4 1 8
3 Saudi 5 3 2 6
4 Kuwait 5 2 3 4
5 Bahrain 5 1 4 2
6 Maldives 5 0 5 0
Killing of Qassem SuleimaniMore from Neighbourhood WatchEvacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
The five pillars of IslamMore on Quran memorisation:More from Neighbourhood Watch:More from Neighbourhood WatchPalestine’s statehood boost
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were ‘playing’ with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Hales’ batting career
Tests 11; Runs 573; 100s 0; 50s 5; Avg 27.38; Best 94
ODIs 58; Runs 1,957; 100s 5; 50s 11; Avg 36.24; Best 171
T20s 52; Runs 1,456; 100s 1; 50s 7; Avg 31.65; Best 116 not out
Zayed Sustainability PrizeUPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
More on animal traffickingMore from Rashmee Roshan LallA new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Killing of Qassem SuleimaniHamilton profile
Age 32
Country United Kingdom
Grands Prix entered 198
Pole positions 67
Wins 57
Podiums 110
Points 2,423
World Championships 3
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Killing of Qassem Suleimani