PORTSMOUTH, Va (WAVY) — It’s not where you live in Hampton Roads that makes you more at risk for Alzheimer’s, but certain counties do have a higher number of cases according to new research.
The first-ever county-level estimates of the prevalence of people with Alzheimer’s dementia in all 3,142 United States counties were released Tuesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and online.
The data shows the east and southeastern parts of the country have the highest percentage of cases.
10 On Your Side took a deeper dive into our local numbers and asked the exerts with the Alzheimer’s Association how the information may help.
“We’re seeing higher numbers, higher prevalence, in Hampton, Newport News, (and) Portsmouth as well,” said Alzheimer’s Association of Southeastern Virginia’s Executive Director Katie McDonough.
McDonough told us those cities are seeing Alzheimer’s prevalence upwards of 15%. The highest rate in the state in Sussex County where prevalence is 17% to 19%.
“When you look at the populations of those particular cities, you’ll see higher populations of (the) Black community, higher populations of older adults,” McDonough said.
It has been known for awhile that African Americans are twice as likely, and Hispanics one-and-a-half times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s as Whites.
The data which now breaks down cases by county, McDonough said, will greatly benefit public health.
“I think its really going to help us understand where we need to focus our energy and focus our investment of services and supports,” McDonough said.
That could mean going into at-risk neighborhoods with fresh fruits and vegetables, educating people on healthy eating and addressing health disparities that have led to higher incidents of diabetes, high blood pressure and other diseases that can damage brain health and increase the risk for Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Of course, the greatest risk for getting Alzheimer’s is age. The Alzheimer’s Association advises the most important thing you can do is to talk about brain health in communities and with your doctors, and after age 65, make sure you get a cognitive exam once a year.
