Chapter 22: Ethnic and Racial Differences in The Pathophysiology of Alzheimer's Disease Check Access

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its associated dementia is a debilitating, progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting the elderly population. No therapeutics are available to impede the progression of the disease. Towards this, conducting clinical studies that address the disease-associated risk factors will help us to understand how the disease progresses with age. Racial and ethnic differences predominantly determine the incidence and onset of AD. In this chapter, we explain the contribution of genetic and non-genetic risk factors in contributing to AD. Genetic risk factors such as the presence of allelic variants or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) will largely determine the course of disease progression. Added to this, the prevalence of varied socio-economic status of particular countries or ethnic groups will also be an important regulator. It is important to note that the therapeutic response to pharmacological interventions also may vary across different ethno-racial groups. Thus, we describe the impact of ethnic and racial differences towards the onset and progression of disease that will eventually help in strategizing the novel theranostics to combat AD.