First US County-Level Alzheimer Dementia Assessment Documents Region-Specific Disease Prevalence

The first ever county-level Alzheimer dementia assessment in the United States estimated the region-specific burden of Alzheimer disease (AD). These results were presented at the 2023 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Researchers estimated the prevalence of AD in adults >65 y in all 3142 US counties by analyzing cognitive data from the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP) and population estimates from the National Center for Health Statistics (NHCS). AD prevalence estimates were highest in the East and Southeastern United States, with the highest prevalence in Maryland (12.9%), New York (12.7%), Mississippi (12.5%), and Florida (12.5%). The following counties had the highest AD prevalence estimates: Miami-Dade County, Florida (16.6%); Baltimore City, Maryland (16.6%); Bronx County, New York (16.6%); Prince George’s County, Maryland (16.1%); Hinds County, Mississippi (15.5%); Orleans Parish, Louisiana (15.4%); Dougherty County, Georgia (15.3%); Orangeburg County, California (15.2%); Imperial County, California (15.0%); and El Paso County, Texas (15.0%). Study authors noted the possible influence of demographic factors, including older age and higher percentages of Black and Hispanic residents, as a possible explanation for the higher prevalence estimates in these counties.

These findings highlight region-specific AD burden and can inform public health resource allocation strategies for Alzheimer programs in those regions. As study author Kumar Rajan notes, “This information, in addition to raising awareness of the Alzheimer’s crisis in specific communities, may help public health programs better allocate funding, staffing and other resources for caring for people with Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.”