Demographic and Clinical Features of Alzheimer Disease in Black Americans: Preliminary Observations on an Outpatient Sample in Atlanta, Georgia

Abstract

This exploratory study describes the frequency, demographic features, and clinical manifestations of Alzheimer disease (AD) in a sample of demented black outpatients evaluated at the Emory University Alzheimer's Disease Center. The study reviews prospectively collected research data from 88 demented black outpatients who completed a standardized diagnostic evaluation. Forty-seven percent of these patients met NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for probable AD, and 29% met NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for possible AD. The majority of the probable AD patients were women, and many were suffering from comorbid medical illnesses. In the probable AD patients, there was an association between higher levels of education and a higher frequency of affective symptoms, and an association between longer duration of cognitive symptoms and the presence of parkinsonism. Possible AD was also common in this sample of demented black outpatients and was often encountered mixed with vascular dementia.