Table 1.
Characteristics of study population. Data are number (%) of women unless stated otherwise
| Patients with Alzheimer’s disease (n=84 739) | Controls (n=84 739) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start of follow-up (age at Alzheimer diagnosis (years) for cases) | |||
| <50 | 99 (0.1) | 101 (0.1) | — |
| 50-54 | 273 (0.3) | 274 (0.3) | — |
| 55-59 | 679 (0.8) | 678 (0.8) | — |
| 60-64 | 1373 (1.6) | 1373 (1.6) | — |
| 65-69 | 4028 (4.8) | 4028 (4.7) | — |
| 70-74 | 10 731 (12.7) | 10 785 (12.7) | — |
| 75-79 | 20 317 (24.0) | 20 311 (24.0) | — |
| ≥80 | 47 239 (55.7) | 47 193 (55.7) | — |
| University healthcare district at the time of diagnosis | |||
| Northern (Oulu) | 14 794 (17.5) | 14 746 (17.4) | — |
| Eastern (Kuopio) | 17 425 (20.6) | 17 450 (20.6) | — |
| Southern (Helsinki) | 24 053 (28.4) | 23 956 (28.3) | — |
| Western (Turku) | 10 856 (12.8) | 10 873 (12.8) | — |
| Central Finland (Tampere) | 17 574 (20.7) | 17 624 (20.8) | — |
| Unknown | 6 (0.01) | 3 (0.0) | — |
| Abroad | 31 (0.04) | 87 (0.1) | — |
| Hormone therapy use | |||
| No use | 58 186 (68.7) | 59 175 (69.8) | <0.001 |
| Systemic use | 15 768 (18.6) | 14 394 (17.0) | |
| Estradiol only | 5606 (35.6) | 5312 (36.9) | 0.01 |
| EPT | 9941 (63.0) | 8890 (61.9) | |
| EPT with MPA | 1955 (19.7) | 1795 (20.1) | 0.27 |
| EPT with NETA | 3080 (31.0) | 2661 (29.8) | |
| EPT with other* or mixed progestogens | 4906 (49.4) | 4434 (50.0) | |
| Tibolone | 221 (1.4) | 192 (1.3) | 0.17 |
| Vaginal estradiol | 10 785 (12.7) | 11 170 (13.2) | 0.005 |
| Age at hormone therapy initiation (mean, SD) | |||
| Estradiol only | 58.0 (9.3) | 57.7 (9.0) | 0.1 |
| EPT | 56.1 (7.8) | 55.8 (7.6) | 0.02 |
| Exposure time (mean, SD) | |||
| Systemic use | 11.4 (8.6) | 11.5 (8.6) | 0.19 |
| Estradiol only | 11.8 (9.3) | 11.9 (9.4) | 0.40 |
| EPT | 9.8 (7.7) | 9.7 (7.7) | 0.28 |
| EPT with MPA | 9.6 (7.9) | 9.7 (7.7) | 0.10 |
| EPT with NETA | 7.0 (7.4) | 6.7 (7.3) | 0.28 |
| EPT with other* or mixed progestogens | 11.6 (7.4) | 11.3 (7.4) | 0.02 |
| Tibolone | 1.6 (1.8) | 1.6 (1.7) | 0.93 |
EPT=oestrogen-progestogen therapy; NETA=norethisterone acetate; MPA=medroxyprogesterone acetate; SD=standard deviation.
*
Other progestogens include levonorgestrel, progesterone, megestrol acetate, lynestrenol, drospirenone, and trimegestone.