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P1–196: Age–specific prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in a U.S. state with high population risks: Is South Carolina a harbinger of future national prevalence?
Author(s) -
Laditka Sarah B.,
Laditka James N.,
Cornman Carol B.,
Porter Candace N.,
Davis Doroth R.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2006.05.571
Subject(s) - medicine , gerontology , demography , dementia , population , south carolina , census , prevalence , disease , national health and nutrition examination survey , public health , epidemiology , environmental health , pathology , political science , sociology , public administration
were estimated using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. Results: At ages 85 , county prevalence ranged from 19% to 72% for African Americans, 10% to 53% for non-Hispanic whites; at ages 65-84 for combined populations, from 1.4% to 5.9%. Unadjusted positive predictors included diabetes death rate (a measure of both prevalence and severity) (p .007), heart disease death rate (p .025), and percent: physically inactive (p .072), ages 65 who were African American (p .001), and with less than high school education (p .001). Significant adjusted positive predictors were diabetes death rate (p .034), percent 65 African American (p .025), and percent less than high school (p .001). County median income was a significant adjusted negative predictor (p .006). Conclusions: Low prevalence counties are national retirement destinations; in-migrants in these counties have much more education and income than older South Carolinians, and fewer risk factors. Findings suggest that variation in AD risk factors may be associated with AD prevalence variation. Behavioral and socioeconomic AD risk factors vary widely across areas of the US. Results suggest a need for national AD surveillance.