Earlier onset of Alzheimer disease symptoms in Latino individuals compared with anglo individuals

Background: Latino individuals are the largest minority group and the fastest growing population group in the United States, yet there are few studies comparing the clinical features of Alzheimer disease (AD) in this population with those found in Anglo (white non-Latino) patients. Objective: To compare the age at AD symptom onset in Latino and Anglo individuals. Design: Cross-sectional assessment using standardized methods to collect and compare age at AD symptom onset, demographic variables, and medical variables. Setting: Five National Institute on Aging-sponsored Alzheimer's Disease Centers with experience evaluating Spanish-speaking individuals. Patients: We evaluated 119 Latino and 55 Anglo patients who had a diagnosis of AD. Main Outcome Measure: Age at symptom onset. Results: After adjusting for center, sex, and years of education, Latino patients had a mean age at symptom onset 6.8 years earlier (95% confidence interval, 3.5-10.3 years earlier) than Anglo patients. Conclusions: An earlier age at symptom onset suggests that US mainland Latino individuals may experience an increased burden of AD compared with Anglo individuals. The basis for the younger age at symptom onset remains obscure.