Clinical aspects of dementia in African-American, Hispanic, and white patients

This article examines the relationship between ethnicity, cognitive deficits, functional impairment, and psychiatric symptoms in patients with dementia. The data are from a cross-sectional study of patients evaluated at the Northern California Alzheimer's Disease Center (ADC). Using the ADC database of patient information, the authors compared sociodemographic and clinical variables in 187 African-American patients, 69 Hispanic patients, and 1317 white patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), ischemic vascular dementia (IVD), and mixed dementia (AD/IVD). Multivariate analysis indicated the following results: 1. African-American patients and Hispanic AD patients had lower risk of depressed mood compared to white patients; 2. African-American patients had lower risk for anxiety than whites; 3. Hispanic patients with mixed dementia had lower rates of apathy compared to whites. Future studies are needed to examine how ethnic group differences in dementia are based on the interaction of cultural differences; effects of age, education, and psychosocial variables; and biological differences in the course of dementia.