The new data, released in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, shows some disturbing racial and ethnic disparities. The increase in death rates from Alzheimer’s for African Americans was 99 percent; for Hispanics, 107 percent; and for Asian/Pacific Islanders, 151 percent. By comparison, the rate increase for whites was 54 percent.
| TABLE. Number, unadjusted rates, and age-adjusted rates per 100,000 population for Alzheimer’s disease deaths* as the underlying cause of death by age group, sex, race/ethnicity, urban-rural classification, and state — United States, 1999 and 2014 | |||||
| Characteristic | 1999 | 2014 | % change from 1999 to 2014 | ||
| No. | Rate (95% CI) | No. | Rate (95% CI) | ||
| White, non-Hispanic | 40,835 | 17.4 (17.3–17.6) | 80,014 | 26.8 (26.6–27.0) | 53.6† |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 2,325 | 11.4 (10.9–11.9) | 6,493 | 22.7 (22.2–23.3) | 99.4† |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 86 | 10.4 (8.3–12.9) | 287 | 18.7 (16.5–20.9) | 80.1† |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 225 | 4.8 (4.2–5.5) | 1,660 | 12.2 (11.6–12.7) | 151.4† |
| Hispanic | 981 | 9.6 (6.0–10.2) | 4,934 | 19.8 (19.3–20.4) | 107.2† |
| from CDC | |||||
