Study finds Latinos' increased risk of dementia is related to low level of education

The findings of a study conducted by researchers at the Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging USC at the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work suggest that higher prevalence of dementia among racial and ethnic minorities

"Our study highlights the important role that education plays in determining the risk of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease as Latinos get older," said María Aranda, associate professor and executive director of the University of California. USC Roybal Institute. "It is obvious that education confers many benefits on cognitive health, but we have sought to determine whether a lack of education can impair cognitive functioning and explain the health disparities associated with dementia. . "

With the increase in life expectancy in the United States, more people are likely to suffer from dementia in the coming decades. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. It affects about 5.7 million people in the United States and is the sixth leading cause of death, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

A report from the USC Roybal Institute and the UsAgainstAlzheimer report indicated that Latinos were 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than non-Latino whites. African Americans are also twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease as non-Latino whites.

Previous research has shown that the risk of dementia is particularly high among people with low levels of education.

With the help of data from the Nationally Representative Aging, Demography and Memory (ADAMS) study, the USC research team examined its findings. there was a link between the risk of dementia and education among different ethnic groups. ADAMS data showed that Latinos had the lowest level of education compared to African-American and non-Latino whites.

Education vs. other factors

The researchers found that the prevalence of higher dementia among African Americans and Latin Americans compared to non-Latino whites was associated with lower levels of education in both groups, but that the majority of students in this age group had lower levels of dementia. The impact of education was different for each population.

The results of the study confirmed that African Americans have a higher prevalence of the APOE e4 allele – a version of a gene linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

However, among Latinos, the very high level of risk was due to very low levels of education. For Latinos of the study sample, those who had not completed high school had an average of only three years of study.

"After being adapted to education, being Latin American has reduced the risk of developing dementia," said co-author Francisca Rodriguez, principal investigator at the Center's Cognitive Science Center. Kaiserslautern University and former postdoctoral researcher at "Even for people with only a few years of formal education, each year of additional education decreases the risk of dementia."

Alzheimer's disease is the most expensive disease in the United States – with an annual cost of about $ 236 billion paid primarily through Medicare and Medicaid. By 2018, Alzheimer's disease and other dementia will cost $ 277 billion. These costs are expected to reach $ 1.1 trillion by 2050.

"Efforts to provide opportunities for quality education for Latinos, African Americans, and other disadvantaged groups could help reduce the burden of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias on society." "said Aranda.

The study was recently published online in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Explore more:
New study to document risk factors for Alzheimer's disease among Latinos

More information:
Francisca S. Rodriguez et al. Racial and ethnic disparities in the risk of dementia among people with a low level of education, The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (2018). DOI: 10.1016 / j.jagp.2018.05.011

Data analysis: dworakpeck.usc.edu/sites/defau… nic% 20minorities.pdf