Two Minority Groups Live Longer with Alzheimer’s Disease
November 16th, 2007 Posted by: Dr. Cox
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A new study finds Latinos and African-Americans with Alzheimerâs disease live longer than white people who have Alzheimerâs. Researchers say even after they adjusted for other factors, these two minority groups lived up to 40 percent longer than whites.
The study included 31,000 people with Alzheimerâs Disease including 81 percent who were white, 12 percent who were African-American, 4 percent who were Latino, 1.5 percent who were Asian and 0.5 percent who were American Indian. The participants were followed for two and half years and autopsies were done on 3,000 of the participants.
Researchers say Latinos lived about 40 percent longer than whites. African-Americans lived an average of 15 percent longer than whites did. There was no difference in the Asian and American Indian groups.
âItâs not clear why Latinos and African Americans have an advantage when it comes to living longer with Alzheimerâs disease,â says study author Kala Mehta, DSc, of the University of California, San Francisco. âPossible explanations may be underlying genetic and cultural factors.â Mehta says that by determining these factors it could lead to longer survival for all Alzheimerâs patients.
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SOURCE: Neurology published online on November 14, 2007