Black people are receiving medications for dementia less often than white people, according to a preliminary study released that will be presented next month at the American Academy of Neurology’s 75th Annual Meeting in Boston.
The study involved 25,930 people ”“ 3,655 were Black and 12,885 were white ”“ and researchers looked at how often participants received one or more of five medication classes typically prescribed for dementia. The researchers found that Black people with dementia received all five medication types less often than White people. The differences remained after researchers controlled for factors such as age, sex, and insurance type.
“Previous research has shown that due to racial disparities, people with dementia do not always receive the same access to medications that may be beneficial in nursing homes and hospitals,” said Dr. Alice Hawkins of Mount Sinai in New York City, a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “However, there is limited data for the use of dementia medications that people take at home. Our study found disparities in this area as well. We hope our findings lead to a better understanding of these disparities so that steps can be taken to eliminate this health inequity.”
Hawkins added that additional research was required “to understand the root cause of such disparities and design programs to eliminate them.”
