Tonnie Coppus of Erasmus MC -- a medical center affiliated with Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands -- says results shown in Down Syndrome women can be translated to apply to the general population.
"Women with Down Syndrome with an early onset of menopause also appear to suffer from dementia at an early age. In addition, my study shows that these women also die younger," Coppus said in a statement.
Since dementia itself leads to a reduced life expectancy, Coppus corrected the results for the effect of dementia on death. Despite this, the relationship between early menopause onset and dying young remained.
The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer Disease, is part of a long-term examination begun in 2000 of more than 500 people with Down Syndrome age 45 or older.
Coppus says the Down Syndrome's group's health development appears as an accelerated version of the developments found in the general population.
