How Does Ethnicity Affect My Risk Of Developing Alzheimer's Disease?

May 4, 2009 -- Question: How does ethnicity affect my risk of developing Alzheimer's disease?

Answer: Well, we don't think that ethnicity, in particular, changes your risk for Alzheimer's disease. We think that it's possible that certain ethnic groups may have had more exposures to certain risk factors that can increase your risk for Alzheimer's disease -- things such as low education or medical conditions that might increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. But ethnicity itself is not necessarily a risk factor.