Self-reported rates of confusion or memory loss and of related functional difficulties in adults aged 60 years and older varied considerably by race/ethnicity, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2011, 16.9% of Hispanic or Latino respondents said that they had experienced confusion or memory loss (CML), which was significantly higher than the 12.1% reported by whites. African Americans were the only group with a CML rate (11.8%) lower than that of whites, the CDC said (MMWR 2013;62:345-50).
When it comes to functional difficulties reported by those with CML, however, the rate among African Americans was significantly higher (61.6%) than for whites (29.1%) or for Asians/Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders (16.2%), the CDC reported.
The data used in the CDC analysis come from 21 states that administered an optional module of the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey.
