The eastern and southeastern United States have the highest prevalences of Alzheimer’s dementia, according to new research released Monday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Amsterdam.
The study, by researchers at Rush Medical College in Chicago, includes county-level estimates of Alzheimer’s rates among adults age 65 and older in all 3,142 U.S. counties.
Among counties with populations of 10,000 or more people age 65 and older, three tied for the highest Alzheimer’s prevalence: Miami-Dade County in Florida; the city of Baltimore in Maryland; and the borough of the Bronx in New York — all having a rate of 16.6%.
Following close behind were Prince George’s County, Md., with 16.1% Alzheimer’s prevalence among adults 65 and older; Hinds County, Miss., with a rate of 15.5%; and Orleans Parish, La., with a rate of 15.4%.
Demographics may help explain why these counties have such high rates of the disease, according to the researchers. The Rush Medical College researchers noted that the Bronx has a higher percentage of people over 85 than the national average. The county also has a higher percentage of Black and Hispanic residents. Age is a primary risk factor for Alzheimer’s, and older Black and Hispanic people are also more likely than older white people to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
The county-level data “may help public health programs better allocate funding, staffing and other resources for caring for people with Alzheimer’s and all other dementia,” Kumar Rajan, a Rush Medical College professor and an author of the study, said in a statement.
Counties rounding out the top 10 in Alzheimer’s prevalence are Dougherty, Ga.; Orangeburg, Calif.; Imperial, Calif; and El Paso, Tex., all with rates around 15%.
Among states, Alzheimer’s prevalence was highest in Maryland, New York, Mississippi and Florida, the study found.
Previous projections show that the western and southwestern U.S. are facing the biggest percentage increase in people living with Alzheimer’s between 2020 and 2025, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
As the prevalence of the disease increases, “so does the need for a larger workforce that is trained in diagnosing, treating and caring” for people with Alzheimer’s, Matthew Baumgart, Alzheimer’s Association vice president of health policy, said in a statement.
