Black Americans make up about 13% of the U.S. population but account for close to 20% of people with Alzheimer's disease.

Discussions about Alzheimer’s disease in communities of color often blame comorbidities like high blood pressure for much of the disease’s prevalence.

But Stephanie Monroe, vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, said factors related to both — such as the availability of nutritious food, clean environments and opportunities to exercise — stem from systemic inequities with deep historical roots.

“We know that biology matters; we know that genetics matter; and now we're learning more and more about where you live, and grow and work,” she said. “That seems to matter as well.”

UsAgainstAlzheimer’s

Stephanie J. Monroe is vice president and senior adviser of Health Equity and Access at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, a national advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.

But the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease among Black Americans and other communities of color is not reflected in the rolls of clinical trials for Alzheimer’s drugs.

“If we want to make sure that medications, treatments — even the way we diagnose — works for everyone, everyone needs to be included,” said Monroe. “We are very close to becoming a 50-50 minority-majority population in the United States, and we can't have clinical trials with 93% whites.”

From 2017 to 2020, Alzheimer’s disease ranked among the top five causes of death among Arizonans 65 years and older.