Dementia diagnoses can double depending on where you live: study finds

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona Alzheimer’s advocates say the findings of a new study is a call to action.

Researchers say where you live could double your odds of being diagnosed with dementia and not because there are fewer cases.

For the first time, this study shows that differences in diagnosis by region aren’t tied to risk level but instead to the quality of health care systems.

This study used data from Medicare records for nearly 5 million people.

“The percentage of people over 65 diagnosed in Arizona is low. It’s low compared to the rest of the country,” said Dr. Julie Bynum. She is the study’s lead researcher at the University of Michigan.

She spent the last few years researching how many people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of dementia across the country.

“Whether you’re black, Hispanic, white, 85, 70, where you live matters regardless of your demographic group,” said Bynum.

According to the data, the two cities with the biggest difference are Davenport, Iowa and St. Paul, Minnesota.

You are twice as likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in St. Paul compared to Davenport.

Arizona and Florida are popular snowbird destinations, but the research shows someone in Clearwater, Florida has a 25% greater chance of getting a diagnosis than someone living in Phoenix.

“Arizona is a low diagnosis place and Florida is a high diagnosis place and I can’t tell you from my data why,” said Bynum. “It could be about things about density of physicians and clinicians.”

Bynum explains these findings suggest receiving a diagnosis may be more about the health system than risk factors.

“There’s something else going on that makes it different across place and we think those are differences in health systems largely in how hard or how easy it is to find somebody who can make a proper diagnosis for you,” said Bynum.

Kinsey McManus is the director of the Desert Southwest chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

She says in Arizona, about 11% of people over the age of 65 are living with Alzheimer’s disease.

“We, as a state in Arizona, have such low rates of diagnosing people compared to other states that tells me that we probably are dealing with a much larger number of people than we even estimate,” said McManus. “Frankly, I think what we saw in the study is that almost every other state is doing it better.”

Another reason this study is cause for concern here in Arizona is because a formal diagnosis is the key to getting access to new drugs on the market that can help slow down the progression of the disease.

“If we’re not diagnosing people early or were not diagnosing them at all, they’re missing out on treatment. The other thing is once you get a diagnosis, you can apply for things like clinical trials,” said McManus. “This is absolutely a call to action for us in Arizona.”

Experts say calling attention to the disparities is step one in creating meaningful change.

“Getting people connected with care is something we can do. This is fixable,” said Bynum.

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