Generally, Alzheimer disease is a form of dementia, which inflicts a loss of memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms develop slowly, become worse over time and most often lead to death. This disease was discovered and described by German psychiatrist in 1906. His name was Alois Alzheimer. Alzheimer disease is usually diagnosed in older people. Most often, it is people over 65, but it can also occur earlier. The symptoms of this dementia disease gradually worsen over a long period of time. It can take from four to twenty years.
Alzheimer disease can develop differently for different groups of people, regarding to age, sex, race and ethnicity, but there are some common stages and symptoms. On the first stage, there are no any memory problems, no visible symptoms. On the second stage, there is a small cognitive decline. Person can forget words or locations, but there are still no dementia symptoms. The first symptoms can be diagnosed only on the third stage, which is characterized by mild cognitive declines.
Moderate cognitive decline occur on the fourth stage. It is characterized by forgetfulness, difficulties in making complex decisions and in completing different routine tasks, etc. Stage five is a moderately severe cognitive decline. On this stage people become confused about day and place, “trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships”, etc. (“Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures,” 2013, para. 2.2.1). Sixth stage is a mid-stage Alzheimer disease.
It is characterized by changes in sleep patterns, individuals may need help in dressing and handling toilet, have problems with controlling their bowels, some have significant personality and behavioral changes, etc. Seventh is a late-stage Alzheimer disease. On this last stage, individual’s muscles grow rigid, swallowing becomes impaired.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, certain ethnic and racial groups are more prone to dementia, for example, African Americans and Hispanics are more likely than white Americans to have Alzheimer disease (“Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures,” 2013). Vulnerability is a complex concept. It involves such attributes and constructs as age, race, ethnicity, environmental exposures, etc. (Dannenberg, Frumkin, & Jackson, 2011).
The proportion of ethnic and racial diversity in the US is increasing. Some sources claim that the number of elders who are white will decline over the time. According to Census estimation, there will decline to 67 percent by 2050. In 1990, for example, it was about 87 percent. It also estimates that Hispanic population will significantly increase by 2050. The number of Hispanic elders might become 11 times greater.
Hypothetically, it will be about 80.1 million elders in 2050. About 10.4 percent among them will be black. According to these estimations, ethnic and racial minorities will make much greater contribution into a survey statistics. Mainly in regard to those associated with different diseases, which affect the old age population. “This presents the potential for a major public health issue because ethnic minorities may be at higher risk for AD and dementia than non-Hispanic whites” (Anderson, Bulatao, & Cohen, 2004, p. 95).
The rates of Alzheimer disease between different ethnicities have been compared. Despite the different methods and approaches, the most frequent statistic shows that, although most of the people with Alzheimer are white, African Americans, Hispanics and Asians are at higher risk. “One of the largest projects, a population-based, longitudinal study of 2,126 elderly residents of New York City, examined the incidence of AD among three ethnic/racial groups” (Anderson et al., 2004, p. 105).
These groups were white Americans, African Americans and Hispanics. New York City has more than 2 million African-American. According to the Census, for a long time New York City had more Black residents than the entire California state. New York also has the population at about 686,814 African immigrants, which is the largest among all the states in US.
During the project, the individuals “were identified as Medicare recipients residing in selected Census tracts” near the Washington Heights and Inwood (Anderson et al., 2004, p. 97). The National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Associations (NINCDS-ADRDA) criteria, neuropsychological tests and examinations were used. For African Americans (4.2% per person-year) and Hispanics (3.8% per person-year) the rate numbers were much bigger than for white Americans. Recent findings shows that incidence of dementia per 100 people at 70-80 years old among whites is 3.5%, black males – 5.3%, black females – 5.9%.
According to Anderson et al. (2004) “Nigerians had lower rates of AD as compared to African Americans; prevalence rates in Nigeria appeared to be significantly lower than those for whites and Hispanics in the United States as well” (p. 105). Another example of vulnerability among different ethnicities and races is Japanese-American men. According to statistics, they are less vulnerable for dementia diseases than white Americans, but have much higher rates than their Japanese counterparts. “The prevalence of AD in rural India appeared to be very low, and comparable with the rates of dementia found in Ibadan, Nigeria” (Anderson et al., 2004, p. 105). Although, the rate of dementia diseases for them is higher, African Americans and Hispanics are less likely to have Alzheimer disease diagnosis.
According to Anderson et al. (2004), “there are several possible explanations for these observed differences in rates of dementia across ethnic groups” (p. 105). “These include statistical limitations, discrepancies in cognitive test performance, differential genetic factors, differences in prevalence of nongenetic medical risk factors, and differences in the social meaning and reaction to cognitive decline” (Anderson et al., 2004, p. 105). Also, black individuals and Latino Americans are more vulnerable for diabetes and high blood pressure than their white counterparts. These are risk factors for dementia diseases. The measures of cognitive ability are also influenced by a number of socioeconomic variables (Anderson et al., 2004, p. 106).
Such factors as having a low education level, low salary (or poverty) and bad living conditions refer to Socioeconomics. They are another group of risk factors for Alzheimer disease. A federal survey data shows that Black Americans and Latino Americans are among socially deprived people. They are more prone to poverty than white Americans. These groups are also more likely to have a low education level or not to have one at all. Such socioeconomic factors make a big contribution to the vulnerability of ethnical and racial minority groups.
There is no known cure for the Alzheimer disease. However, there are special drugs that treat immune disorders. According to some studies, such medications, as donepezil, galantamine, memantine, rivastigmine and tacrine, can help stabilize patients and slow down the disease activity. Alzheimer disease breaks down a key neurotransmitter, while these cholinesterase inhibitors try to block such processes. These medications can stabilize patient for up to three years. Another way to reduce the incidence of dementia, diabetes and other diseases is to change a lifestyle. For example, quit smoking, avoid a high-fat diet, practice in mind-challenging activities, eat healthy food, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, do exercises, avoid head injuries, etc.
References
Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. (2013). Alzheimer’s Association 9(2). Web.
Anderson, N. B., Bulatao, R. A., & Cohen, B. (2004). Critical Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life. Washington, US: The National Academies Press.
Dannenberg, A. M., Frumkin, H., & Jackson, R. J. (2011). Making Healthy Places: Designing and Building for Health, Well-being, and Sustainability. Washington, US: Island Press.