Dementia risk scores in diverse populations

Abstract

A recent analysis of dementia risk scores across diverse populations found that the validity of scores can differ between ethnic groups. The widely investigated Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE) risk score, which estimates 20-year dementia risk at midlife on the basis of age, sex, education, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol level and physical activity, was compared with a modified version (mCAIDE) that includes self-reported information on sociodemographic characteristics, personal and family medical history and mood. Higher CAIDE scores were associated with increased risk of dementia in non-Latinx White, Latinx, and Asian Americans, but not Black Americans, whereas mCAIDE scores were associated with risk in all groups. The findings highlight the need to evaluate and revise risk score methods to suit the specific racial and ethnic make-up of the studied population.