AMSTERDAM — The first-ever county-level estimates of the prevalence of people with Alzheimer’s dementia — in all 3,142 United States counties — were released today at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® (AAIC®) 2023, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and online.

Researchers found the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s in the east and southeastern regions of the U.S. The data were simultaneously published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia®: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Kumar B. Rajan, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Rush Medical College, and colleagues, used cognitive data from the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP) and population estimates from the National Center for Health Statistics (NHCS) to estimate the prevalence of Alzheimer’s in adults 65 years and older in all U.S. counties.

In Iowa, the average Alzheimer’s prevalence rate in individuals age 65 and older is 11%. The highest rates occur the most in Iowa’s northwest counties including Monona county (12.6%) and Mitchell and Osceola counties (12.5%). However, the highest rate is found in the south-central county of Ringgold (12.9%).

Alzheimer’s prevalence rates in the top 10 Iowa counties with the highest number of individuals age 65 and older are estimated to be:

• Polk (68,200) – 10.5%
• Linn (38,000) – 10.8%
• Scott (29,800) – 10.9%
• Black Hawk (22,900) – 11.1%
• Johnson (19,700) – 10.1%
• Dubuque (18,200) – 11.1%
• Pottawattamie (17,200) – 10.5%

Rajan and the team noted a combination of specific demographic characteristics that may explain the higher prevalence in these counties, including older average age and higher percentages of Black and Hispanic residents. For example, among residents age 65 years and older of the Bronx County in New York, 14% were 85 and older (compared to a national average of 12% of people 65 and older), 30.1% were African Americans and 46.9% were Hispanic Americans (compared to national averages of 9.4% and 8.8%, respectively).

Age is well-established as a primary risk factor for Alzheimer’s. According to Alzheimer’s Association 2023 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, older Black Americans are about twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older Whites, and older Hispanics are about one and one-half times as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older Whites.

“These new estimates add more granular data to our understanding of Alzheimer’s prevalence across the country,” Rajan said. “This information, in addition to raising awareness of the Alzheimer’s crisis in specific communities, may help public health programs better allocate funding, staffing and other resources for caring for people with Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.”

“The estimates are based on cognitive and demographic characteristics,” Rajan added.

“Alzheimer’s dementia is a multifactorial disease involving several risk characteristics that interact with demographic risk factors and ultimately contribute to the prevalence.”

An estimated 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report. Based on previous projections, Facts and Figures shows the west and southwest regions of the U.S. will experience the largest percentage increase in people living with Alzheimer’s dementia between 2020 and 2025.

“Alzheimer’s prevalence estimates can help federal and state public health officials determine the burden on the health care system, and county-level estimates help us better understand and pinpoint areas of high risk and high need — where, for example, culturally-sensitive health support and caregiver training services are needed,” said Matthew Baumgart, Alzheimer’s Association vice president of health policy.

“As the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease increases, so does the need for a larger workforce that is trained in diagnosing, treating and caring for those living with the disease.”

“The Alzheimer’s Association is committed to advancing public policies at the state and federal level to address the needs of people living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers,” Baumgart said.

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

A ban on most abortions in Iowa is now on hold.

A Polk County district court judge has issued a temporary injunction that blocks enforcement of the abortion restrictions that Governor Reynolds signed into law Friday.

Sharon Wegner, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, which is representing two abortion providers challenging the law. “This decision was incredibly important because it means that, for now, abortion in Iowa remains safe and legal,” she said during an online news conference late this afternoon. “…We know Iowans stand with us in wanting to protect abortion rights and keep politicians out of doctor-patient decision making.”

The legislature met in a one-day special session last Tuesday and passed a bill to ban most abortions after cardiac activity can be detected, which is around the sixth week of pregnancy.
“This law bans abortion before many people know that they are pregnant,” Wegner said, “…and as such it violates the state constitution under the ‘undue burden’ standard that the Iowa Supreme Court has made clear is the governing standard for now.”

In a written statement, Governor Reynolds said the “abortion industry is trying to thwart the will of the people: who elected her and the Republican majorities in the legislature. Reynolds said she will fight this case “all the way to the Iowa Supreme Court,” where Reynolds said she expects “a decision that will finally provide justice for the unborn.”

Ruth Richardson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of North Central States, told reporters her staff made hundreds of phone calls late last week to reschedule abortion appointments.

“While we know that the state may seek an appeal, we are proud to resume services for our patients and provide patient outreach to help break through the manufactured chaos that is our new normal,” she said.

The injunction was issued Monday afternoon. Iowa law currently requires a 24 hour waiting period for abortions, so Wednesday is the earliest that elective abortions can be scheduled.

Polk County District Court Judge Joseph Seidlin said the ban on most abortions created “irreparable harm,” but his ruling also allows the Iowa Board of Medicine to start writing rules to enforce the ban. Seidlin wrote that there are “honorable and intelligent people…on both sides of this upsetting societal and constitutional dilemma.”