Alzheimer's Different for African Americans and Latinos
According to UsAgainstAlzheimer's, Latino and African American populations for those aged 65 and older are increasing dramatically. The group says the population will grow 224% and 114%, respectively, by 2030. This compares to a 65% growth rate for non-Latino white Americans.
Communities of color will see tremendous growth in Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. The Alzheimer's Association says the top factor for Alzheimer's is your advanced age. The possibility of developing some type of memory loss doubles about every five years after age 65; after age 85, the risk reaches nearly 50%.
Latinos and African Americans Experience Higher Risk for Alzheimer's
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) reports that 13 percent of U.S. Latinos age 65 and older are believed to have Alzheimer's or related dementia. The CDC estimates that this number is lower than for African Americans and higher than for non-Hispanic whites.
Several health issues are risk factors for Alzheimer's and are prevalent in Latinos, and African Americans compared to other Americans. These include high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and heart issues. This means African Americans have double the risk compared to white Americans for Alzheimer's and Latinos are one and half times more likely than whites.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that by 2060 the number of Latinos age 65 and older is expected to nearly quadruple. Latinos face the most significant increase in Alzheimer's disease and related dementia cases of any racial/ethnic group in the United States.
Health Factors Impact Risk
According to the NIA, research shows strong relationships between lower cognitive function and diabetes, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular disease risk factors.
An increasing amount of evidence suggests that African Americans may have a greater risk of Alzheimer's disease than the non-Hispanic white population. Another problem is that African Americans are more likely to be misdiagnosed or diagnosed with Alzheimer's in the later stages of the disease, making it harder for family and treatment.
There is no cure for Alzheimer's or other dementias, but early diagnosis and treatment can slow the progression in some people.
Dementia and Long-Term Care Costs Drain Assets
With the growing middle and upper-middle class of both groups, long-term care costs can wipe out much or all of the savings they worked hard to earn over their lifetime. Don't forget the tremendous impact on family members.
Many Americans are unaware that health insurance, including Medicare and supplements, will not pay for most long-term health care expenses. People with dementia will usually require supervision and other long-term health care needs.
Medicaid will pay for long-term care, including supervision due to dementia, but the individual must have little or no income and assets to qualify. Long-Term Care Insurance will pay for these services, but you must own a policy before your health declines.
Care Costs Increasing Nationally
Long-term health care costs are skyrocketing nationwide. The increased demand for care, demographics, and higher labor costs are all factors that increase care costs.
The LTC NEWS Cost of Care Calculator will show you the current and future cost of long-term health care services where you live - Cost of Care Calculator - Choose Your State | LTC News.
Affordable Long-Term Care Insurance can play an essential part in protecting savings and income while reducing the stress and burden otherwise placed on loved ones. These policies also provide access to a choice of quality care in the setting you desire.
Reasons for Racial Risk Differences
The question remains, does science know why these groups have an even higher risk of memory loss?
Alzheimer's disease may cause different changes in the brain, or pathologies, in African-Americans than in white Americans of European descent, according to a recent study by researchers in the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center.
"Because some studies suggest that Alzheimer's disease is more common among older African-Americans than European-Americans, we wanted to see whether the brain changes caused by Alzheimer's are different in these two racial groups."
"Studying how Alzheimer's disease looks in the brain in individuals of different races may help us to further understand the disease and pinpoint strategies for prevention and treatment."
Lisa Barnes, PhD., study lead investigator and cognitive neuropsychologist at Rush
"Studying how Alzheimer's disease looks in the brain in individuals of different races may help us to further understand the disease and pinpoint strategies for prevention and treatment," said Barnes.
The study included 41 African-Americans with a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's dementia from the memory clinic who had an autopsy of their brain performed after death. They were then compared to 81 deceased European-Americans who had Alzheimer's dementia with the same level of disease severity and were of the same age, sex, and education level.
Researchers looked for typical signs of Alzheimer's disease (plaques and tangles) as well as other brain changes that can cause dementia, such as infarcts (the brain changes associated with stroke) and Lewy bodies (associated with Lewy body or Parkinson's disease). They noted whether people had just one pathology or more than one. They also looked at small and large blood vessel diseases.
Almost all participants in the study had Alzheimer's disease in their brains. Only about half of the European-Americans had pure Alzheimer's disease pathology (no additional pathologies contributing to dementia), whereas the rest had Alzheimer's disease pathology with either infarcts or Lewy bodies.
Clinical Alzheimer's disease in African-Americans was more likely to involve pathologies other than Alzheimer's disease pathology. In contrast, less than 25 percent of African Americans had pure Alzheimer's disease pathology. On the other hand, almost three-quarters (71 percent) of African-Americans had Alzheimer's disease pathology mixed with another type of pathology, compared to 51 percent of European-Americans. African-Americans also had more frequent and severe blood vessel diseases.
"Our study has important clinical implications because it may suggest a need for different types of Alzheimer's prevention and treatments in African-Americans. Indeed, current Alzheimer's drugs primarily target specific Alzheimer's pathologies in the brain. Given the mixed pattern of disease that we see in African American brains, it will be important to develop new treatments that target these other common pathologies, particularly for African-Americans."
Improving lifestyle, diet, and other social-economic factors can perhaps enhance overall health and the risk of higher than average dementia risk. Like everyone else, families should consider preparing for future changes in health, including brain health, before these changes take place.
Proper retirement planning, including Long-Term Care Insurance, will provide guaranteed tax-free resources to access quality care options and protect savings while, at the same time, giving loved ones the time to be family instead of caregivers.