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Published in factoidz
The new report entitled 2010 Alzheimer’s disease Facts and Figures," indicates that ethnic groups are more likely to contract Alzheimer’s disease than Caucasians. The report stipulates that Hispanics have a 1.5 greater chance of contracting Alzheimer’s than whites do and Afro Americans are twice as likely. Although, this is an American report, the figures would equally apply to Canadians.
It would be logical to assume that genes might responsible for the statistics, however the report maintains that the findings to do not point to genes being the risk factor. What the researchers are hypothesizing is that the difference has to do with higher rates of hypertension and diabetes. The report went on to say that there is a growing body of research that points to the health of brain being closely related to heart and cardiovascular health as well.
The data so far is indicating that better health management especially in areas such as: smoking, type 2 diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, inactivity and high blood pressure can actually slow down the decline of cognitive ability. In other words, if these other health concerns were controlled or eliminated the cases of Alzheimer’s disease would also decline.
The report confirms other studies in their findings that people with lower incomes tend to have higher reported cases of dementia than those individuals with a higher education. The cause of this is not linked in anyway to lower intellectual abilities, rather it points to a lower socioeconomic level. Individuals with lower incomes tend to suffer from poorer diets and restricted access to proper health care.
Even though minorities suffer from Alzheimer’s more frequently than whites, they are given the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s less often than white as well. The factors that could contribute for these discrepancies are: less access to doctors, high cost of diagnostic exams, distrust in doctors, fear that a diagnosis could cost their job, general perception that dementia is a normal process of aging and so on. Cultural attitudes may be a factor in reducing the possibility of early detection when the disease can best be treated.
During the period of 2000 – 2006 Alzheimer reported cases increased by 46.1 percent and will continue to climb as the baby boomers age. About 500,000 Canadians have Alzheimer’s, and 119,700 of Quebecers have it as well.
For Montrealers the contact for more information is:
Federation of Quebec Alzheimer
Societies, (514) 369-7891
Sources:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100309/alzheimers_100309/20100309?hub=Health
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Comments: 22
A lot of people are beginning to diagnose Alzheimers when really they should be just diagnosing Dementia of some sort.
People at risk for dementia are overweight, undernourished, sedentary people who drink or smoke, have high cholesterol, diabetes and so on, but that in no way means they will get actual Alzheimer's.
Lack of good cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health is one of the chief causes of cerebro vascular breakdown, i.e. dementia. Alcohol and smoking chief among them.
Of these, poorer people might be at risk and perhaps ethnic minorities rather than the more educated and affluent who might take better care of themselves.
My husband does a lot of work with the elderly.
We live in a capitalistic society, which changes definitions to suit the needs of the medical industry. Alzheimer's is a case in point.
90 percent of the people with supposed Alzheimer's actually have unspecified dementia, caused by ...alcohol, smoking, weight, diabetes, cholesterol...etc...
It is possible that fMRI might be able to diagnose some of the Alzheimer's, but 90 percent of Alzheimers are diagnosed by very cursory impressions.....
There are also a number of people who have severe Alzheimer's plaques in the brain, but they are physically healthy and their brains are mentally active and they show no loss of mental or physal functionality.
The old maxim stays. Sound body, sound mind.
here directly from the mayo clinic:
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia — the loss of intellectual and social abilities severe enough to interfere with daily functioning. In Alzheimer's disease, healthy brain tissue degenerates, causing a steady decline in memory and mental abilities.
Alzheimer's disease is not a part of normal aging, but the risk of the disorder increases with age. About 5 percent of people between the ages of 65 and 74 have Alzheimer's disease, while nearly half the people over the age of 85 have Alzheimer's.
Although there's no cure, treatments may improve the quality of life for people with Alzheimer's disease. Those with Alzheimer's — as well as those who care for them — need support and affection from friends and family to cope
so we have come to the end of this discussion
cheers
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Grandma was Pennsylvania Dutch (German+Dutch)
And Aunt Cora was Scottish.