Blacks, South Asians face higher dementia risk, study finds

LONDON (BLOOMBERG) - Black and South Asian people face a higher risk of developing dementia than White people, a new UK study showed, highlighting the need to address inequalities in the health system and focus on prevention in diverse communities.

The risk also doubles for people living in poor neighbourhoods compared with those in affluent areas, with at least one in 10 cases of dementia linked to poverty, according to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe.

Similarly, for every 10 cases, at least one was associated with ethnicity.

Racism and poverty "could play a role in raising the risk of the disease among minority groups," the authors said, citing studies suggesting stressful and traumatic events increase the chances of dementia.

The authors also noted that most research into the condition involves affluent people of White European ancestry, overlooking minority groups.

The findings underscore the impact of racial inequalities on the health of minority groups and reinforce other studies that have found black communities are more vulnerable to health conditions like asthma or diabetes.

But as governments get to grips with the consequences of systemic racism on wealth, unemployment, health and education, pressure is increasing to improve the social and economic conditions of minority communities.

For the study, researchers at Queen Mary University of London analysed medical records, collected between 2009 and 2018, in four East London Boroughs.

They compared records of 4,137 people with dementia to those from 15,754 people of similar age without the condition.

"Further study is needed to unpick the underlying mechanisms by which ethnicity and deprivation confer this increased risk of dementia," said Dr Phazha Bothongo, the lead researcher.