ALLEN COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - New research into the prevalence of Alzheimer's and dementia reveals that Allen County is among the top in the state.
Research of Alzheimer's cases on a county-by-county level across all fifty states was released for the first time ever at the International Alzheimer's Association conference this week. The data revealed that Allen County ranked the 8th highest among Ohio's 88 counties when it comes to the percentage of cases among those 65 and older. The data allows the association to pinpoint areas where resources like support groups may be most needed to help families in need.
"Knowing that there's a higher prevalence, Allen County is, I believe the top 8 in the state of prevalence. Cuyahoga County was 13.4% and Allen County is 11.4%. That's about what the state average is, and we'll need to look a little bit deeper as to what causes that prevalence," stated Vince McGrail, executive director for Northwest & Central Ohio Alzheimer's Association Chapters.
The risk of Alzheimer's doubles every five years after reaching 65, so age is just one of several factors that could lead to a higher prevalence of the disease.
"Age is the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. There's also, African Americans are twice as likely to develop the disease. Those who are Hispanic are one and a half times more likely than whites. And so, I think those are things that we have to look at when we look at prevalence across each one of the counties. How that's made up, what causes that prevalence, and then how we plan for the future," added McGrail.
The Alzheimer's Association works to connect those facing the disease with care support and educational resources. You can find out more at alz.org or by calling their helpline at 1-800-272-3900.
