Research shows a link between racism and Alzheimer’s disease

In the Spring 2023 issue of the journal, the Alzheimer’s Association cited two studies that linked racism to the event of Alzheimer’s disease. They linked this research to a call to handle the health disparities and inequities that Black people face.

As the magazine stated, this research declared that racism have to be addressed to make sure health equity and justice amongst all racial and ethnic groups. According to a study conducted by a team of researchers at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center, exposure to racism is related to poorer memory in middle age.

As Dr. Jennifer Manly, professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, said: “Overall, our findings indicate that racism impacts brain health and contributes to the inequitable burden of Alzheimer’s disease among marginalized groups.”

Manly added: “Black adults are approximately twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia in Latino adults as in white adults.”

Scientists have known for a while that discrimination causes health disparities and inequality, but they didn’t know whether discrimination had any effect on memory and considering in older adults. To test this theory, Dr. Kristen George, assistant professor of epidemiology on the University of California School of Public Health Sciences, conducted experiments that examined the connection between discrimination and cognitive function in black, white, Asian, Latino, and multiracial people whose average age was 93 years.

George found that folks who had experienced discrimination of their lives had poorer long-term memory for ideas, facts and concepts than individuals who had not experienced it. George told the web site: “These findings highlight that despite this group’s incredible longevity, discrimination has an indelible impact on cognitive health.”

In 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services added a section on combating systemic racism to this 12 months’s report update of the National Plan for Preventing Alzheimer’s Diseasewhich Dr. Carl V. Hill, MPH, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer on the Alzheimer’s Association, says is critically necessary.

“To achieve health equity – which is a step toward total inclusion and representation – individuals and society must identify and reduce racism and other forms of discrimination,” Hill said. “We must create a society where the undervalued, disproportionately affected and underrepresented are safe, cared for and valued.”

In January 2024, HHS commissioned a study regarding Literature on racial and ethnic disparities in Alzheimer’s diseasewhich is the clearest indication that the federal government views this issue as a public health issue. Their study found that along with Black people’s experience of racism, Alzheimer’s disease can be attributed to a number of other aspects that disproportionately affect Black people. These aspects include, but will not be limited to: hypertension, heart failure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Racial bias within the healthcare industry, while circuitously linked to Alzheimer’s disease, is one more reason why black people receive different treatment in comparison with other ethnic groups.

In summary, the study found that there are persistent and unfavorable disparities between black and non-white people in Latin America compared with white people within the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, participation in clinical trials and other indicators of quality of care. The study didn’t explain why these disparities exist, but noted that additional aspects corresponding to education and poverty could also be at play.

“The reasons for these differences will not be well understood, but include possible genetic differences, the presence of other diseases which will increase the danger of Alzheimer’s disease, higher rates of poverty and lower levels of education. Additionally, differences in service use and spending could also be related to cultural differences and racial and ethnic discrimination. Although these disparities are well-known, little is understood concerning the effectiveness of assorted strategies, corresponding to cultural competence training, to handle these disparities within the context of Alzheimer’s disease, with almost no research available examining possible interventions.”

The study does offer a glimmer of hope for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Rather than simply attempting to ensure equal access to services, a higher solution is to find out what the suitable level of care is and be certain that the patient can receive that care at the correct time and in the correct setting.

“In seeking to alleviate these disparities, one of the important points made in the IOM report is that matching needs to services is a more important goal than trying to provide an equal amount of services to different groups,” it concludes. “Both under- and over-treatment can be a problem and it would be undesirable to insist that all patients be treated equally. Instead, the goal should be the right care, delivered to the right patient, at the right time, in the right setting.”