Alzheimer’s Crisis: Hispanic Communities Face Higher Rates Amidst Slow Research Progress

Arizona is witnessing a significant public health challenge, with over 150,000 residents aged 65 and older diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, accounting for 11% of the state’s older population. Researchers are increasingly focused on the disproportionately high incidence of the disease among Hispanic Americans, highlighting a pressing need for further investigation.

Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disorder that impacts cognitive functions, gradually affecting an individual’s memory, behavior, and ability to perform daily activities. Shannon Lindemer, a senior psychometrist at the University of Arizona’s health initiative, emphasizes the urgency of addressing this issue as the Hispanic population in the U.S. continues to grow. “By the year 2060, it will at least double in size,” she stated, noting that Hispanic individuals are approximately 1.5 times more likely to receive an Alzheimer’s or dementia diagnosis.

Notably, Alzheimer’s is the predominant form of dementia. However, the research community faces significant barriers in understanding its effects on Hispanic populations. One critical issue is the low participation rate of Latinos in clinical trials, explained Joseph Saenz, a professor at Arizona State University’s Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation. “We don’t have enough Latinos in drug trials… we don’t have enough data on Latinos in general,” he remarked.

Eric Reiman, the executive director of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Arizona, echoed these concerns about representation in research. He stressed the need for clear communication regarding research opportunities to encourage broader participation. “It is very common not to include individuals from underrepresented groups, and we need to find better ways to encourage them to participate in these studies so that we can learn what would be most informative for them,” Reiman stated.

Compounding the challenge is the frequent conflation of the terms Latino and Hispanic, which complicates data collection and interpretation. The Oxford English Dictionary specifies that ethnicity encompasses cultural and traditional roots, with the U.S. categorizing individuals as Hispanic or non-Hispanic based on ancestral ties to Spanish-speaking countries. Latinos, on the other hand, refer to people from Latin America and can be segmented into groups such as Mexican, Central American, South American, and Caribbean.

The distribution of Hispanic communities varies significantly across the nation, with Arizona hosting a sizable Mexican population, while New York is known for its Puerto Rican and Dominican communities. Each ethnic subgroup presents a unique risk profile for Alzheimer’s disease, necessitating targeted research efforts to better understand these disparities.