Alzheimer’s disease among Asian Americans
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Alzheimer’s is a tolerant disease that destroys and kills brain cells hence distorting mental functioning. Most people who contract the disease end up losing their memory and optimum thinking. The condition is ranked as the sixth leading killer in the US. Research by Gordon and other researchers (2017) reveals a rapid increase in the number of Alzheimer patients in the United States. At least 5.8 million individuals in America are Alzheimer patients (Mayeda et al., 2017). According to the report of the Alzheimer’s Association in 2008, Asian Americans are at the highest risk of facing the impacts of Alzheimer’s disease. Generally, mortality rates are higher among whites as compared to blacks. However, individuals factors, environmental factors, healthcare accessibility, and resourcefulness explain why the Asian American population is the most affected by Alzheimer’s in the US.
Asian Americans have poor individual factors that aid in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. The population practices unhealthy behaviors that subject them to the vulnerability of the condition (Jones, Chow & Gatz, 2005). Such actions may include smoking, alcohol consumption, and intake of high volumes of sodium. Poor dieting and nutrition increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Social segregation and stressful pursuits also subject Asian Americans to a high risk of the disease. Unconducive environmental factors make Asian Americans more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease. Many Asian Americans lack significant education for the prevention and handling of the disease (American Academy of Neurology, 2007). The existing gap in the accessibility of treatment defines the disparity in the prevalence of Alzheimer’s between whites and Asian Americans. Due to its expensiveness, most Asian American is limited to access to quality health care. Moreover, the lack of significant assets and resources for managing the disease makes Asian Americans more victimized. Without a doubt, inadequate preparedness and lack of substantial knowledge of prevention make Asian Americans more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease than the whites. There is a need for change in the standards of prevention and management of the effects of Alzheimer’s disease among Asian Americans.
References
Alzheimer’s Association (2013, March 13). Retrieved from https://www.alz.org/documents/national/submitted-testimony-050113.pdf
American Academy of Neurology. (2007, October 2). Low Education Level Linked To Alzheimer’s, Study Shows. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 25, 2020, from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071001172855.htm
Gordon, B. A., Blazey, T., Su, Y., Hari-Raj, A., Dincer, A., Flores, S., … & Cairns, N. J. (2017). EXAMINING LONGITUDINAL NEUROIMAGING PATTERNS IN AUTOSOMAL DOMINANT ALZHEIMER DISEASE: RESULTS FROM THE DOMINANTLY INHERITED ALZHEIMER NETWORK. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, 13(7), P44-P45.
Jones, R. S., Chow, T. W., & Gatz, M. (2005, December 20). Asian Americans and Alzheimer’s disease: Assimilation, culture, and beliefs. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890406505000472
Mayeda, E. R., Glymour, M. M., Quesenberry Jr, C. P., & Whitmer, R. A. (2017). Heterogeneity in 14-year dementia incidence between Asian American subgroups. Alzheimer disease and associated disorders, 31(3), 181.