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The Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer\u2019s and Neurodegenerative Diseases is located at the UT Health San Antonio Center for Brain Health.<\/p>\n
Brenda Bazan<\/p>\n
Cmapbell Sullivan was senior author in the study that discovered that a rare form of dementia that afflicts younger people\u00a0affects Hispanics more than previously thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
UT Health San Antonio<\/p>\n
Shown is one of the rooms at the Glenn\u00a0Biggs Institute for Alzheimer\u2019s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at the UT Health San Antonio Center for Brain Health.<\/p>\n
Brenda Bazan<\/p>\n
A form of dementia that affects younger people is more common among Hispanics than was previously realized, according to a UT Health San Antonio study<\/a>.<\/p>\n Although Hispanics are more likely than white people to have dementia, it previously was thought that frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, didn\u2019t affect them, said\u00a0Campbell Sullivan<\/a>, who has a doctoral degree in psychology and is a clinical associate professor of neurology with the Glenn\u00a0Biggs Institute for Alzheimer\u2019s and Neurodegenerative Diseases<\/a> at UT Health San Antonio<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But a UT Health team found that wasn\u2019t the case. Researchers also found that Hispanics were underrepresented in previous FTD research, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n FTD is a group of rare, progressive brain diseases that typically strike people between the ages of 45 and 64 and damage the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.<\/p>\n RELATED: As state invests in dementia prevention, UT San Antonio declares \u2018new era\u2019 in Alzheimer\u2019s treatment<\/a><\/p>\n San Antonio Express News Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Rather than causing the memory loss associated with more common forms of dementia such as Alzheimer\u2019s disease,\u00a0FTD leads to changes in personality and behavior and can impair the ability to communicate or understand language. Those with\u00a0FTD can become more impulsive and say things that are offensive or hurtful without recognizing that they\u2019re doing so, Sullivan said. The changes can become severe.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n San Antonio study finds differences in FTD diagnosis<\/p>\n A UT Health team led the FTD research, which studied a cohort of 17 Hispanic and 22 non-Hispanic white participants. The researchers compared their findings with a national dataset, which came from the National Alzheimer\u2019s Coordinating Center. That dataset included just 24 Hispanic participants and 407 non-Hispanic white patients, which was very \u201cunbalanced,\u201d Sullivan said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The San Antonio study found that the Hispanic participants had more movement-related symptoms and that their cognitive impairment was more advanced at the time of diagnosis than that of non-Hispanic white participants.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we are seeing on the national level is not what we experience in South Texas,\u201d said Sullivan, senior author of the study, \u201cFrontotemporal dementia in Hispanic populations: Regional and national comparisons.\u201d She oversaw UT Health San\u00a0Antonio fellow Shannon B. Lavigne<\/a>, who is the study\u2019s first author. It\u00a0was published<\/a> in late July in Alzheimer\u2019s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring<\/a>, a peer-reviewed journal focused on dementia research.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n HEALTH NEWS: UT Health San Antonio announces $5 million donation to help South Texans with dementia<\/a><\/p>\n The findings are especially significant in San Antonio, where Hispanics account for a majority of the city\u2019s population, she said.<\/p>\n Sullivan said the study not only dispelled the longstanding belief that\u00a0FTD doesn\u2019t occur in Hispanics but showed that there were significant barriers to getting a timely and accurate diagnosis. In addition, the assumption that FTD wasn\u2019t an issue among Hispanics was itself a factor in not recognizing it among members of that group, she said. Researchers also concluded that lower educational attainment significantly influenced delays in FTD diagnoses among Hispanic participants.<\/p>\n She said Hispanic participants in her cohort had waited four, or sometimes even 10 years, to seek help after their symptoms started. The study found that the time from the start of symptoms to diagnosis averaged four years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Biggs Institute seeks earlier diagnosis, broader research<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re coming to us further along in the disease than their white counterparts,\u201d she said, adding that one of the Biggs Institute\u2019s goals is to diagnose FTD earlier.\u00a0<\/p>\n SA INC.: Get the week\u2019s top local business stories in your inbox<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThese families (of FTD patients) are not going to walk through this alone,\u201d Sullivan said. She and her staff want to show those who struggle with\u00a0FTD \u00a0\u2014 and their families\u00a0\u2014 that there is expertise, infrastructure and desire to bring future treatments to the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Most dementia cases are sporadic, whereas the remainder have a genetic component, she said. More research is focused on finding ways to delay the onset of the disease in those who have a genetic risk, including lifestyle changes such as exercise, Sullivan said.<\/p>\n Hispanics are 1.5 times more likely than white people to have dementia, according to the Alzheimer\u2019s Association<\/a>, a nonprofit organization that focuses on Alzheimer\u2019s care, support and research.<\/p>\n Almost 9 out of 10 Hispanics say it is important for Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia care providers to understand their ethnic or racial background and experiences, the association reported.<\/p>\n To that end, the\u00a0Biggs Institute has \u201cbuilt an entire army of research assistants and staff who are bilingual,\u201d Sullivan said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n RELATED: Biggs saved local jobs, helped medical school raise funds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n