Epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders: implications for minority populations.

The experience of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias in minority populations must be understood in the epidemiological, diagnostic, treatment, and care contexts which surround it. This article describes those contexts, and offers an analysis of how efforts to improve the management of dementia among minorities are likely to be affected by them. An overview of the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of AD and related disorders is presented; current and proposed health care services are described; and planning and policy considerations which result from the nature, epidemiology and care demands of dementia are reviewed. We conclude with a series of recommendations for the enhancement of our healthcare system to meet the needs of minorities with dementia.