Epidemiological trends and cross-country inequalities in the global burden of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in postmenopausal women from 1990 to 2021

From 1990 to 2021, there was an overall upward trend in the global burden of ADOD among postmenopausal women. Driven by demographic shifts (population growth and aging) and metabolic risks (particularly high fasting plasma glucose), the burden of postmenopausal women with ADOD is expected to increase substantially. Postmenopausal women in higher SDI countries bore a disproportionately higher ADOD burden, and the SDI-related inequalities among countries widened during the study period. These findings highlight major challenges in the prevention, control, and management of ADOD in postmenopausal women. Health authorities should shift from reactive treatments to proactive prevention, emphasizing the establishment of targeted health policies, glucose control, and optimizing medical resource allocation to meet the heterogeneous needs of this vulnerable population.