Name of Journal: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Journal of the American Geriatrics Society ETHNOGERIATRICS AND SPECIAL POPULATIONS

Authors: Andria Apostolou PhD, MPH, Jordan L. Kennedy MSPH, Marissa K. Person MSPH, Eva M. J. Jackson MPH, Bruce Finke MD, Lisa C. McGuire PhD, Kevin A. Matthews PhD

Publication Year: 2024

Last Updated: August 8, 2024

Keywords: Best Practices, Health, Research

Abstract:

Background
Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia and is responsible for up to 80% of dementia diagnoses and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. An estimated 38,000 American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) people aged ≥65 years were living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) in 2020, a number expected to double by 2030 and quadruple by 2050. Administrative healthcare data from the Indian Health Service (IHS) were used to estimate ADRD among AI/AN populations.

Methods
Administrative IHS healthcare data from federal fiscal years 2016 to 2020 from the IHS National Data Warehouse were used to calculate the count and rate per 100,000 AI/AN adults aged ≥45 years with at least one ADRD diagnosis code on their medical record.

Results
This study identified 12,877 AI/AN adults aged ≥45 years with an ADRD diagnosis code, with an overall rate of 514 per 100,000. Of those, 1856 people were aged 45–64. Females were 1.2 times (95% confidence interval: 1.1–1.2) more likely than males to have a medical visit with an ADRD diagnosis code.

Conclusions
Many AI/AN people with ADRD rely on IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health programs. The high burden of ADRD in AI/AN populations aged 45–64 utilizing IHS health services highlights the need for implementation of ADRD risk reduction strategies and assessment and diagnosis of ADRD in younger AI/AN populations. This study provides a baseline to assess future progress for efforts addressing ADRD in AI/AN communities.

Source: Link to Original Article.

Source: https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.19058

Type of Resource: Peer-reviewed journal article