African Americans and Hispanics at Greater Risk for Alzheimer's Than Whites

Alzheimer's Association
Tuesday, 10 March 1998

A new study suggests risk of Alzheimer's disease is higher for African-Americans and Hispanics than whites, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

"The study highlights the crucial need for increased research to find the unknown factors that generate the differences in risk and, perhaps thereby, ways to prevent the disease," said Zaven Khachaturian, Ph.D., director of the Association's Ronald & Nancy Reagan Research Institute. Researchers studied just over 1,000 people in New York City. Among those who did not carry a copy of the known APOE-e4 risk factor gene for Alzheimer's, risk of Alzheimer's disease was four times higher for African Americans and two times higher for Hispanics than whites. These findings held up after adjustments were made for differences in age, sex, education, family history of dementia and hypertension.

"Through rigorous, well-executed studies such as this, we are learning that Alzheimer's is a complex and heterogeneous disease," said Khachaturian.

"This study points out differences in risk for Alzheimer's disease not caused by the known genetic risk factors," Khachaturian said. "We desperately need to find out what is driving the differences in risk. Are there additional genetic risk factors? Are there other factors in the environment or in people's lifestyles? We need expanded studies with larger numbers of people, in these groups and others, and we need the research funds available to do them.

"Epidemiology is expensive and time consuming, but it is vitally important, because by identifying risk factors for Alzheimer's disease we will discover preventions. We may uncover environmental or lifestyle connections such as those found between smoking and lung cancer or diet and heart disease. These are things that can be adjusted or eliminated from people's lives to prevent disease. Perhaps these exist for Alzheimer's disease, too," Khachaturian said.

The Association supports a $100 million increase in federal funding for Alzheimer research."The APOE-e4 Allele and the Risk of Alzheimer Disease Among African Americans, Whites and Hispanics," by Richard Mayeux, M.D. and colleagues, appeared in the March 11, 1998 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

This study was funded, in part, by the Alzheimer's Association, and also by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the National Institutes of Health. The Association applauds the NIA for initiating epidemiological programs on Alzheimer's disease that examine various cultural, ethnic and racial groups. They are, by their nature, long-term projects and often bring important findings that fundamentally shift our knowledge about and perception of the disease, according to the Association.

"There may be many ways the brain develops Alzheimer's disease," Khachaturian said, "representing combinations of various known and not-yet-known genetic and environmental factors. The drive to define these factors is heightened because this study shows the APOE-e4 allele, a known risk gene for Alzheimer's disease in Caucasians, did not appear to be a risk factor in Hispanics or African Americans."

The Association recognizes the need to better serve diverse populations, as codified in its strategic plan through the beginning of the next century. An Association goal is to "increase the number of people, especially from diverse and underserved populations, using the Association's supportive services and information products."

Local Association chapters have developed innovative programs and materials to serve diverse communities including, African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans and Native Americans. The Association is planning a national diversity conference this fall that will bring together national experts, researchers, service providers and Association representatives to examine diversity in Alzheimer's disease and develop an agenda for the future. This could include new initiatives, partnerships, materials and programs, plus will identify areas for further research.

For more information, or to contact Alzheimer's Association, see their website at: www.alz.org