Texas’ border counties have higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease among older adults than other areas in the state, according to a new study estimating county-level prevalence of the neurodegenerative disease.
An estimated 15% of people 65 and older in El Paso County have Alzheimer’s, making the county the 10th-worst in the nation when compared to counties with at least 10,000 residents older than 64. Miami-Dade County, Florida, Baltimore County, Maryland, and Bronx County, New York, tied for the highest prevalence rate, with 16.6% of older adults in each county having the disease.
A county-level database is a helpful tool for researchers looking at which populations are most affected by Alzheimer’s, although it doesn’t answer some of the biggest questions surrounding Alzheimer’s research, including why some groups are more likely to develop the disease than others.
