Minorities With Dementia Show Lower Incidence of Amyloid PET Positivity

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 12, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) positivity is lower in Asian, Hispanic, and Black individuals than White individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia, according to a study published online Oct. 3 in JAMA Neurology.

Consuelo H. Wilkins, M.D., from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and colleagues compared amyloid PET positivity among a diverse cohort of individuals with MCI or dementia. The analysis included data from 17,107 individuals (3,154 in 1:1 optimal matching analysis).

The researchers found that White participants had a greater proportion of positive amyloid PET scans compared with Asian participants (57.8 versus 45.4 percent) and Hispanic participants (61.8 versus 54.5 percent) but not Black participants (58.4 versus 54.1 percent). The odds of having a positive amyloid PET scan were lower for Asian participants (adjusted odds ratio, 0.47), Black participants (adjusted odds ratio, 0.71), and Hispanic participants (adjusted odds ratio, 0.68) versus White participants.

"Public health efforts to better diagnose and treat nonamyloid variants of dementia will be critical if we are to reduce disparities in dementia care," a coauthor said in a statement. "We can draw inspiration from COVID-19 vaccine trials that demonstrated this can be done when utilizing state-of-the-art inclusive research practices and allocating adequate resources."

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

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