MONDAY, Aug. 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The rate of new Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) diagnoses varies across the United States, according to a study published online Aug. 16 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
Julie P.W. Bynum, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, and colleagues used Medicare claims for a cohort of older adults across hospital referral regions (HRRs) to measure geographic variation in diagnosed cases of ADRD. ADRD-specific regional diagnosis intensity was measured as the ratio of expected new ADRD cases based on population demographics, risk factors, and practice intensity compared to observed cases.
The researchers found that across HRRs, the crude new ADRD diagnosis rate ranged from 1.7 to 5.4 per 100. The intensity of ADRD-specific diagnosis varied from 0.69 to 1.47 and varied most for Black, Hispanic, and the youngest (ages 66 to 74 years) subgroups. ADRD diagnosis intensity was associated with a twofold difference in receiving an ADRD diagnosis across all subgroups.
“These findings raise important questions regarding the degree to which differences in access and health care practices may drive excess variability in ADRD detection,” the authors write.
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