Dementia and hypertension in African/Caribbean elders

SIR—This study examined the association between country of birth and type of dementia in a representative community sample of people aged 65 years and older in Britain. Both dementia overall, and the vascular subtype, were over represented among people born in Africa or the Caribbean compared with people born in the UK, despite the greater age of the latter group. People from Africa or the Caribbean with either a history of hypertension or current hypertension were signiWcantly more likely to have dementia if they were not prescribed the appropriate antihypertensive for this group. People in this group should be screened and treated for hypertension to reduce the risk of dementia.