Disease Higher Among Blacks, Hispanics?

CHICAGO - A new report on Alzheimer's disease suggests African-Americans are about 2 times more likely and Hispanics are about 1.5 times more likely than their white counterparts to have Alzheimer's and other dementias.

From the Alzheimer's Association's new report: 2010 Alzheimer's Facts and Figures.

The most significant new information coming from this year's report:
African-Americans and Hispanics are at higher risk for developing Alzheimer's. African-Americans are about twice as likely to have Alzheimer's than whites, and Hispanics are about 1.5 times more likely than whites to develop the disease.

Although there appears to be no known genetic factor for these differences, the report examines the impact of health conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, conditions that are prevalent in the African-American and Hispanic communities and how these conditions also increase Alzheimer risk.

Another interesting aspect explored is the fact that although African-Americans and Hispanics have a higher rate of Alzheimer's than whites to have Alzheimer's and dementia, they are less likely than whites to have a diagnosis. The report examines the implications of this later diagnosis on families and healthcare costs. View full report.

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Disease Higher Among Blacks, Hispanics?