Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Oct 5:4:510-520.
doi: 10.1016/j.trci.2018.08.009. eCollection 2018.

Racial and ethnic differences in trends in dementia prevalence and risk factors in the United States

Cynthia Chen  1   2 , Julie M Zissimopoulos  1
Affiliations

Racial and ethnic differences in trends in dementia prevalence and risk factors in the United States

Cynthia Chen et al. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). .

Abstract

Introduction: Disparities in dementia prevalence across racial/ethnic groups in the United States may not be narrowing over time.

Methods: Data from Health and Retirement Study (2000 to 2012) were analyzed. Dementia was ascertained based on cognitive, functional measures. Logistic regression was used to quantify association between dementia and risk factors, including chronic conditions, use of drug treatment for them, separately for whites, blacks, and Hispanics.

Results: Disparities in dementia prevalence declined between blacks and whites and increased between Hispanics and whites. Adjusting for risk factors reduced but did not eliminate disparities. Compared to no hypertension, untreated hypertension was associated with increased risk of dementia for all racial/ethnic groups while treated hypertension was associated with reduced risk for whites. Diabetes treated with oral drugs was not associated with increased dementia risk.

Discussion: Racial disparities in dementia may be reduced by prevention and management of disease and promoting educational attainment among blacks and Hispanics.

Keywords: Dementia; Disparities; Epidemiology; Ethnicity; Race; Treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Trend in dementia prevalence at the age of 65 years or older by race/ethnicity, 2000–2012. Values are weighted using the HRS sampling weights to adjust for complex design of the HRS survey. Abbreviation: HRS, Health and Retirement Study.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
(A) Absolute difference in prevalence of risk factors for dementia (2012 vs. 2000). (B) Absolute difference in prevalence of treatment among those with respective medical condition (2012 vs. 2000). *Absolute difference in prevalence of cholesterol treatment among those with heart disease in 2012 versus 2006.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Multivariable odds ratio for the presence of dementia in race/ethnic minorities compared to whites, 2000–2012.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Assoc A. Alzheimer's Association Report 2015 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures. Alzheimers Demen. 2015;11:332–384. - PubMed
    1. Plassman B.L., Langa K.M., Fisher G.G., Heeringa S.G., Weir D.R., Ofstedal M.B. Prevalence of dementia in the United States: the aging, demographics, and memory study. Neuroepidemiology. 2007;29:125–132. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hurd M.D., Martorell P., Langa K.M. Monetary costs of dementia in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2013;369:489–490. - PubMed
    1. Zissimopoulos J., Crimmins E., St Clair P. The Value of Delaying Alzheimer's Disease Onset. Forum Health Econ Policy. 2014;18:25–39. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Evans D.A., Bennett D.A., Wilson R.S., Bienias J.L., Morris M.C., Scherr P.A. Incidence of Alzheimer disease in a biracial urban community - Relation to apolipoprotein E allele status. Arch Neurol. 2003;60:185–189. - PubMed