Opinion: A road map for including Latinos and African Americans in Alzheimer’s research
Small gains are being made across the country to narrow disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease among African Americans and Latinos. But much more needs to be…
Alzheimer’s disease is the only leading cause of death in the U.S. that is still on the rise and that does not have a current effective treatment or cure. The limited inclusion of Latinos and African Americans in research will only worsen the outlook, though the success of efforts bubbling up across the country could help us keep up with the disease.
The face of Alzheimer’s is changing, largely because the No. 1 risk factor for it is advanced age. By 2030, the number of Latinos age 65 and the number of African Americans will have , compared to 65% among non-Hispanic whites. As Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) , by 2030 Latinos and African Americans will make up nearly 40% of the 8.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s.
