Early life stress has been identified reasons why most African Americans are the most vulnerable to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, according to a recent at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London.

One new study in Wisconsin found that a single major stressful event in early life is equal to four years of cognitive aging, and African Americans are most at risk – on average, they experience over 60 percent more of such events than non-Hispanic Whites over their lifetimes.

Another study conducted by a health plan in Northern California found that African Americans born in states with the highest levels of infant mortality had 40 percent increased risk of dementia compared to African Americans not from those states, and 80 percent increased risk compared to Whites not from those states.

“These studies were done with U.S. data, but they add weight to the global body of evidence around disadvantage and dementia risk, which is an issue governments around the world grapple with, and one that requires coordinated action,” said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association chief science officer.

“For a racially diverse nation like the United States, and to address Alzheimer’s and dementia on a global scale, these findings support the need for targeted interventions, whether preventive or service-driven, to help address the gaps we know exist – and for more research.”

“In addition to research on Alzheimer’s risk factors and biology, the Alzheimer’s Association is particularly interested in increasing understanding of stigma and concern related to Alzheimer’s and other dementias in diverse communities,” Carrillo said.

In younger elderly (65 and older), there are marked differences in rates of dementia by racial/ethnic groups, showing increased rates for African Americans and decreased rates for Asian Americans. The Alzheimer’s Association 2017 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures reported that, for all adults 65 and older, African-Americans are about twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older Whites and Hispanics are about one and one-half times as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older Whites.

The research also discovered that a greater number of stressful events was associated with poorer late-life cognitive function for all study participants. Even within a relatively small, highly educated sample, African Americans experienced over 60 percent more stressful events than non-Hispanic Whites during their lifetimes, and these experiences were linked to poorer memory and thinking skills in older age. The researchers determined that, in African Americans, each stressful experience was equivalent to approximately four years of cognitive aging.

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