Dementia is a complex disorder with many risk factors, and research has shown that these risk factors differ depending on ethnicity. hereditary factors can play a substantial role in dementia development, with some types of dementia having a higher hereditary component. Certain genetic risk factors may be more prevalent in certain ethnic groups.
According to a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Naaheed Mukadam of University College London, UK, and colleagues, modifiable risk factors such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, low HDL cholesterol, and sleep disorders increase the risk of dementia in some minority ethnic groups compared to White people.
Globally, the number of persons suffering from dementia is increasing. There is growing interest in possibly modifiable risk factors because eliminating them might theoretically prevent 40% of dementia cases. However, the majority of risk factor studies have only been undertaken in adults of European heritage.
We discovered that not only are some risk factors for dementia more prevalent in minority ethnic groups, but that the impact of some of these risk factors is even greater than in the White population.
Naaheed Mukadam
The current study examined the connection between risk variables and dementia onset using anonymised data from English primary care records from 1997 to 2018, comprising 865,674 persons from various ethnic groups.
Overall, dementia affected 12.6% of the study population, including 16.0% of Whites, 8.6% of South Asians, 12.1% of Blacks, and 9.7% of those from other ethnic groups. Almost all of the risk variables investigated in the study were linked to dementia, with the same risk factors frequently conferring a higher risk of dementia in Black and South Asian adults, notably in terms of cardiovascular risk.
After controlling for comorbidity, age, gender, and deprivation, hypertension was associated with a higher risk of dementia in Black people than in White people; hypertension, obesity, diabetes, low HDL, and sleep problems were associated with a higher risk of dementia in South Asian people. Compared to the effects in White people, hypertension had 1.57 times more impact on dementia risk in South Asian people and 1.18 times more impact in Black people.
Higher education and socioeconomic status have been linked to a lower risk of dementia. Access to school and economic possibilities can differ depending on ethnicity, which may increase dementia risk. Cultural variables, social support networks, and caregiving behaviors can differ amongst ethnic groups, potentially influencing dementia risk and outcomes. Toxins and contaminants in the environment can increase the risk of dementia. The prevalence of such exposures may vary by location and community.
According to the authors, the findings may explain prior findings of increased susceptibility, younger age of dementia onset, and shorter survival after dementia diagnosis among minority ethnic groups. They argue that dementia prevention efforts should be directed toward people from minority ethnic groups and customized to specific risk factors.
“We discovered that not only are some risk factors for dementia more prevalent in minority ethnic groups, but that the impact of some of these risk factors is even greater than in the White population,” the authors write. To provide equitable dementia prevention, we require personalized dementia prevention that takes ethnicity and risk factor profile into consideration.”
