23% of Black Americans age 70 and older live with Alzheimer’s disease in america, in response to Alzheimer’s Association. They’re also twice as likely as older whites to have a type of dementia. 

A latest study that pulled data from 5.6 million AA and non-Hispanic European Americans found that a latest prescription hypertension drug, telmisartan, could lower the chance of Alzheimer’s in Black adults over 60.

The research was conducted by Dr. Feixiong Cheng at his laboratory at Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute, and the outcomes are published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Considering race-specific drug responses holds potential for drastically improving patient care. Identifying these candidate drugs also can reveal more information in regards to the disease by referencing the medication’s targets,” said Cheng. 

Telmisartan is an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) that blocks an enzyme that narrows blood vessels. Research finds the drug will be more helpful to individuals who have existing conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. There are also signs that telmisartan may also help reduce cognitive decline. 

Cheng’s and his team used research that used artificial intelligence and a variety of statistical analyses to check for “causal relationships between telmisartan’s goal and AD.”

The findings discovered that older Black adults with moderate or high telmisartan exposure had a 2.5% incidence of AD or dementia over five years. The AAs with low or no telmisartan exposure had a 3.8% incidence of AD. 

Some common signs of Alzheimer’s Disease include memory loss, losing track of the date or time, forgetfulness, and taking longer than usual to complete day by day tasks. If you happen to notice these symptoms in yourself or a loved one, contact a healthcare provider to get help and support. 

To can read more on Cheng’s study here.