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African Americans may be at greater risk for Alzheimer’s
The effort to engage African Americans on Alzheimer’s comes as the U.S. population ages and becomes more diverse. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, a number expected to more than triple by 2050
Date: 10/9/2016 7:22:05 AM ( 8 y ) ... viewed 369 times
Studies show that older African Americans are almost twice as likely as whites to develop Alzheimer’s disease for genetic, biological and socioeconomic reasons. Diet and even the stress of experiencing racism can be factors.
Yet relatively few African Americans want to talk about Alzheimer’s, which is the leading cause of dementia. For historical reasons, even fewer want to participate in clinical research trials that could deliver benefits to themselves and future generations.
You just don’t hear about Alzheimer’s in the black community. There’s some stigma,” said Stephanie Monroe, associate director of the African American network at the D.C.-based nonprofit USAgainstAlzheimer’s, the event’s organizer. The organization was founded in 2010 by George Vradenburg, AOL’s former chief counsel, and his wife, Trish, a writer and former journalist.
The effort to engage African Americans on Alzheimer’s comes as the U.S. population ages and becomes more diverse. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, a number expected to more than triple by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. In the Washington area, the number of people 65 or older with Alzheimer’s is expected to grow by nearly 40 percent, to 329,000, by 2025.
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