Latinos and African-Americans with Alzheimer's Disease Live Longer

There is good news for Latinos and African Americans who have Alzheimer's disease. They have longer lives than Caucasians who have Alzheimer's disease, according to a recent press release.

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco conducted this study. They determined that Latino's with Alzheimer's disease lived approximately 40 percent longer than Caucasians. Minorities who have a family member with Alzheimer's disease should plan on their relative surviving longer than previous estimates may have stated.

Additionally, African Americans with Alzheimer's disease lived approximately 15 percent longer than Caucasians. Both Native American Indians and Asians had the same lifespan as Caucasians.

Researchers caution that there could be other factors at play that account for the difference in lifespan. These could include differences in health and disease, family support, social support from extended family, and the types of treatment that is available.

Further, they caution that no conclusions should be made about any health or fitness differences based on race or ethnicity.

"It's not clear why Latinos and African Americans have an advantage when it comes to living longer with Alzheimer's disease. Possible explanations may be underlying genetic or cultural factors," said Kala Mehta, DSc, of the University of California, San Francisco, and member of the American Academy of Neurology.

Researchers were unclear what contributed to the longevity for African Americans and Latinos. Many of the participants in this study came from other countries and longevity for Alzheimer's patients could be different in those countries than in the U.S.

The researchers plan to investigate underlying factors that might lead to a longer survival time for all Alzheimer's patients.

The findings released in this study were based on the results of 31,000 patients who were treated for Alzheimer's disease across the United States. Researchers scientifically adjusted the results to account for the differences in age, education level, living situation, when symptoms began, and other factors that affected lifespan.

Each of the participants in this study were followed for 2.4 years on average; they lived for nearly 5 years after they had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Autopsies were performed on approximately 3,000 of the deceased Alzheimer's patients. The disease was similar, regardless of the ethnicity of the participants of this study.

The National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center, and the National Institute on Aging provided funding for this study. The study has been published in online version of the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, Neurology®.

Source:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/aaon-laa110607.php