Furlano Joyla A, Okada de Oliveira Maira, Pintado-Caipa Maritza, Röhr Susanne
Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and UCSF, USA.
Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo (FMUSP), São Paulo, Brazil.
Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2025 Mar 1;38(2):119-125. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000987. Epub 2024 Dec 26.
To highlight recent findings on the prevalence and risk and protective factors for dementia in Indigenous Peoples, who are disproportionately affected by health inequities driven by social determinants of health and historical injustices. With increasing numbers of Indigenous individuals entering older age, there is a growing need for research to better understand dementia and opportunities for prevention in Indigenous Peoples.
Recent studies highlight a wide range of dementia prevalence across Indigenous Peoples, with estimates varying significantly by methodology, socio-cultural context, and region with stark gaps in regional representation. Studies suggested that Indigenous Peoples show distinct profiles of dementia risk factors, including higher rates of cardiovascular disease, lower educational attainment, and socioeconomic disadvantage. However, traditional lifestyles, strong social ties, and culturally grounded practices are suggested to offer protective effects against cognitive decline.
Despite growing research attention, significant limitations remain in understanding dementia in Indigenous Peoples. The available evidence points to the need for culturally sensitive approaches in research and dementia prevention, as well as greater consideration of the social and environmental factors shaping brain health. Future research should aim to incorporate Indigenous knowledge systems and address the social determinants of dementia risk in Indigenous Peoples.
强调近期关于原住民痴呆症患病率、风险及保护因素的研究发现。原住民受健康的社会决定因素和历史不公正导致的健康不平等影响尤为严重。随着越来越多的原住民步入老年，对痴呆症的研究需求日益增长，以便更好地了解原住民的痴呆症及预防机会。
近期研究突显了原住民中痴呆症患病率的广泛差异，估计值因方法、社会文化背景和地区而异，地区代表性存在明显差距。研究表明，原住民呈现出独特的痴呆症风险因素特征，包括心血管疾病发病率较高、教育程度较低和社会经济劣势。然而，传统生活方式、紧密的社会关系以及基于文化的习俗被认为对认知衰退具有保护作用。
尽管研究关注度不断提高，但在理解原住民痴呆症方面仍存在重大局限性。现有证据表明，在研究和痴呆症预防中需要采用文化敏感方法，同时更多地考虑影响大脑健康的社会和环境因素。未来的研究应旨在纳入原住民知识体系，并解决原住民痴呆症风险的社会决定因素。
