Alzheimer's 'Epidemic' Hitting Minorities Hardest

[heli]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/health/alzheimers-epidemic-hitting-minorities-hardest-334055.html

Alzheimer's 'Epidemic' Hitting Minorities Hardest
HealthDay News

Over 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, and blacks and Hispanics are at highest risk of developing the disease, a new report finds. The report, 2010 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures, from the Alzheimer's Association, finds that black Americans are about two times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than whites, and Hispanics face about 1.5 times the risk.

"Alzheimer's is continuing to be on the rise," said Maria Carrillo, the association's senior director of medical and scientific relations. "So many people are affected by it across the country, but we are rallying to highlight the disparities that exist in populations," she said. Much of the increase in Alzheimer's is because of increasing high blood pressure and diabetes, which increase the odds of developing Alzheimer's in all populations. "African-Americans and Hispanics are particularly vulnerable, because the proportion of these two risk factors is higher even still," Carrillo said. "We can actually do something about this increased risk with better management of the conditions."

This year, 500,000 new cases of Alzheimer's will be diagnosed, with a greater number of new cases expected in the years to come, the report found. By 2050, the report estimates that almost a million new cases of Alzheimer's will be diagnosed annually. In 2006, Alzheimer's was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and the fifth leading cause of death among those 65 and older. From 2000 to 2006, death rates declined for most major diseases, including heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, stroke and HIV/AIDS. However, deaths from Alzheimer's rose more than 46 percent during that time period, according to the report.

Not only are there more cases of Alzheimer's, but more families are shouldering the burden of the disease, Carrillo said. This is particularly true for minority families who may have less access to outside care. "There are 5.3 million Americans with Alzheimer's," noted Robert J. Egge, vice president of public policy and advocacy. "And for each of those people there are many others whose lives are consumed with caring for those Alzheimer's patients," he said. That totals some 11 million Americans, Egge said...

[slackmaster]

1. One of the downsides of increasing life expectancy is an increase in age-related illnesses

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus08.pdf#026

[TwilightGardener]

2. This is the first I've heard of a connection between Alzheimers and diabetes/high blood pressure.

Oddly, neither of my relatives who developed Alzheimers had these conditions. So, I would need more proof of that.

[asjr]

3. There have been 5 (including my Mother) on the

maternal side of my family who have had it. I can only recall my mother had not=so=high BP and it was taken care of by medication. Two were sisters. All were first cousins. There may have been more but I was out of touch with most of the very very large family for quite some time. We are all Irish/Scots/Jewish ancestry.

[TNDemo]

5. My mom had early onset Alzheimer's

(very genetic) and never had hypertension and only very slight diabetes the last year or two. Of course I have both hypertension and diabetes and probably the genetics for Alzheimer's. I'm screwed. But there were lots of folks in her dementia unit with no other health issues than the dementia.

[asjr]

8. My sister and I used to worry about ourselves

getting it but we can't do anything about it. Every time we forget something we just say Oh well, everyone is like that as we get older. If it happens, it happens. I just hope someone discovers a cure.

[TwilightGardener]

7. I have it on both sides of my family--I think genetics are far more

a predictor than high BP or diabetes--especially when those conditions are late-onset in life or well-controlled.

[mainer]

4. It may not be a true connection -- rather, a confusion with mini-strokes

hypertension and diabetes can result in occult cerebrovascular disease, resulting in mini-strokes. The resultant loss of memory and mental function can certainly look like Alzheimers.

[TwilightGardener]

6. Agree with that--probably they're confusing TIA's and resulting dementia with Alzheimers.

[gblady]

10. there is much info available....

I am a volunteer for the Alzheimer's Association.
Their website has a lot of information about the disease.

http://www.alz.org/index.asp

Another great resource is a DVD called the Alzheimer's Project...which
is a 6 hour documentary done by HBO. It is a 3 DVD series, two of which contain
research projects being done studying the disease from many different angles, including
diabetes, inflamation, blood pressure, heart disease...trying to find the causes...
and hopefully how to prevent it. My library carries several copies.

http://www.hbo.com/alzheimers/about-the-project.html

[truedelphi]

15. Some fifteen years ago, when "nootropoics" were all the rage,

I successfully used DMAE combined with a small amount (mayeb half a shot glass full) of brandy or wine as a boost for the woman who had Alz. who was in my care.

I didn't do this every day, but whenever she had expected comapny, maybe three or four times a month.

This really worked very well. She could be almost normal in terms of her lucidity for the two hours that company was visiting.

At that point in time, there were NO other drugs available to help a patient with Alz. cope with the disease. Shortly after I left that person's employ, the first of several drugs came out but I don't think she took that first drug as her family felt it might affect her liver.

[LoKnLoD]

12. I don't think they are linking them

The way I read it is at that age there are also secondary medical conditions that someone that age has to deal with. Like heart disease etc.

[AngryAmish]

9. Alzheimer's terrifies me

A friends mother had early onset Alzheimer's in her early fifties. She loved into her seventies, last ten years did not recognize her family. She was institutionalized.

I figure when it starts getting bad I am gong to spend a few weeks saying goodbye to my friends and relative, go to a last Cubs game and go fishing one last time. Then buy a big bottle of vodka and some pills. DO it in the bathtub, cleaner that way.

[TNDemo]

11. The problem is by the time it gets bad you are no longer cognizant of that fact.

My mother was in her 50s when she got it and her mother (adopted mother with garden variety dementia - biological family full of Alzheimer's) was refusing to give up the car and my mother would rail about how she was going to kill someone and would have to live with that fact the rest of her life. At the same time we were desperately trying to get the car away from my mother (had the DMV write and tell her she had to retake the test, which she couldn't pass) and she had no concept that she was compromised. We could never talk to her about the disease or what she wanted because she didn't think there was anything wrong with her - we were the ones with the problem. She had lived in fear of Alzheimer's but got beyond the point where she had any idea it was affecting her. That is my great fear - that everyone will know I have it except me. I have told my kids feel free to push me in front of a bus and I will not haunt them, but of course I don't want to put that burden on them. I hope I can stay aware enough to recognize what is happening and deal with it myself.

[TeeYiYi]

13. ...

:hug:

TYY

[truedelphi]

14. Great thing to post here. Thank you. Something else to add to the discussion

Some people with dementia are simply on the wrong meds. Including digitalis. Taking them off of the wrong meds can restore their mental functioning. (Do not simply take them off the meds. Have the doctor participate -as some meds need to be slowly decreased over time rather than abruptly taken away.)

Some adults afflicted with dementia are simply bad at Vitamin B 12 uptake. Getting them injections with vitamin B 12 can help reverse their dementia.

My Sister in law just restored MIL's health through consulting with several experts on medication. MIM barely recognized us on the phone three months ago, and couldn't follow a simple conversation, and now she is as intellectually alive as she was five years ago.