Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging & Data Science, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Neurotherapeutics. 2023 Jul;20(4):1019-1036. doi: 10.1007/s13311-023-01408-x. Epub 2023 Jul 25.
It is well known that vascular factors and specific social determinants of health contribute to dementia risk and that the prevalence of these risk factors differs according to race and sex. In this review, we discuss the intersection of sex and race, particularly female sex and Black American race. Women, particularly Black women, have been underrepresented in Alzheimer's disease clinical trials and research. However, in recent years, the number of women participating in clinical research has steadily increased. A greater prevalence of vascular risk factors such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes, coupled with unique social and environmental pressures, puts Black American women particularly at risk for the development of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Female sex hormones and the use of hormonal birth control may offer some protective benefits, but results are mixed, and studies do not consistently report the demographics of their samples. We argue that as a research community, greater efforts should be made to not only recruit this vulnerable population, but also report the demographic makeup of samples in research to better target those at greatest risk for the disease.
众所周知，血管因素和特定的健康社会决定因素会导致痴呆风险，而且这些风险因素的患病率因种族和性别而异。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了性别和种族的交叉点，特别是女性和非裔美国人。在阿尔茨海默病临床试验和研究中，女性，尤其是非裔美国女性的代表性不足。然而，近年来，参与临床研究的女性人数稳步增加。更高的血管危险因素（如高血压和 2 型糖尿病）的患病率，加上独特的社会和环境压力，使非裔美国女性特别容易患上阿尔茨海默病和相关痴呆症。女性性激素和激素避孕的使用可能提供一些保护作用，但结果喜忧参半，而且研究并未一致报告其样本的人口统计学特征。我们认为，作为一个研究团体，应该做出更大的努力，不仅要招募这个弱势群体，而且要在研究中报告样本的人口统计学构成，以便更好地针对那些患该病风险最高的人群。
