Racial and ethnic differences in neuropsychiatric symptoms and progression to incident cognitive impairment among community‐dwelling participants
Ganesh M. Babulal, Yiqi Zhu, Jean‐Francois Trani
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are a risk factor for dementia; however, their prevalence and severity among ethnoracial groups are poorly understood. METHODS: We used data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) (n = 6958; ≥50 years old). Cognitively normal participants at baseline, without any NPS or dementia diagnosis, had at least one follow-up. Survival analyses assessed the hazard ratio for 12 NPS models and progression to cognitive impairment. Propensity score weighting (PSW) matched participants on age, sex, education, and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: All 12 NPS were significantly associated with progression to cognitive impairment. In the PSW models, compared to whites, Black/African Americans were more likely to progress to cognitive impairment across all 12 NPS models, followed by Hispanic, and then Asian participants. DISCUSSION: PSW minimized selection bias to provide robust risk estimates. There is a higher risk of progressing to cognitive impairment for ethnoracial groups with NPS. Tailored screening of NPS and cognitive impairment should incorporate patient and caregiver reports.