Alzheimer's & Dementia, a research journal, published a study which concluded that Mexican-Americans of a certain age commonly experience mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is a memory hindrance. Mexican-Americans' risk for early Alzheimer's disease is ultimately due to the early onset of certain chronic health conditions.

Sid O'Bryant, associate professor and interim director of the Institute for Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Research at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, is the author of the study. O'Bryant assessed community-based Mexican Americans, as well as Mexican Americans, who participated in a clinical study of mental aging, and found that MCI in study participants tended to correspond with chronic health conditions such as blood pressure, diabetes and obesity -- all of which are known risk factors of dementia.

Depression, education level and metabolic dysfunction, which could cause diabetes, are other components that O'Bryant's team theorized may be indicators for Mexican-Americans who develop MCI.

Their research concluded that Mexican-Americans were at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease as much as a decade sooner than non-Hispanics. These discoveries are important because detection and early treatment can slow the brain degeneration and prolong life. Researchers' findings communicates to medical experts that they must screen Mexican-American for signs of MCI earlier, tacking the issue before it becomes a serious concern.  

Research recently done on the subjects of Mexican-Americans and Alzheimer's should be praised, but there's a general consensus that more must be done. Dallas Anderson, program director in Epidemiology at the National Institute on Aging, provided funding for the study and has indicated that this is merely the beginning of a process that is bound "to go on for many years." More so than research, finding a treatment "to delay someone from getting the diseases by five years" would mean that experts could cut the prevalence of the disease in half.

More than 5 million American suffer from Alzheimer's, and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. One third of seniors will die from Alzheimer's or another form of dementia. The disease costs society $203 billion, and that number is expected to rise to $1.2 trillion by 2050.