Dementia May Strike Differently, Depending on Race

A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found Hispanics and blacks are more likely to suffer from dementia partly caused by micro-strokes or hardening of the arteries that feed into the brain, reports HealthDay News . Meanwhile, whites are more likely to have dementia triggered by "pure" Alzheimer's, in which aberrations like protein plaques and tangles damage brain cells. "Hispanics and African-Americans are more likely to have mixed pathologies, a combination of Alzheimer's disease and cerebrovascular disease," said University of California, Davis Professor Brittany Dugger. Post-mortem brain tissue analysis determined 54 percent of Hispanics had a mixed dementia diagnosis versus 37 percent of whites and blacks. Symptoms of micro-stroke damage and hardening of large and small blood vessels were seen in 21 percent of Hispanics and 11 percent of blacks with dementia compared to 4 percent of whites. Pure Alzheimer's was observed in only 14 percent of Hispanics, and in 43 percent of whites and blacks. Keith Fargo with the Alzheimer's Association said these findings are "quite exciting, because we already have a toolbox" to prevent blood vessel disease. "We know how to reduce your risk for stroke and heart attack," Fargo stated. "That may now map onto dementia risk much more strongly in these groups, who need it because they are at higher risk."