Alzheimer’s disease is twice as likely to affect Black people as white people, and the risk for the Hispanic population is one and a half times higher than that of the white population. The elevated risk is driven by a combination of factors — not biology alone. UCSF neurologist Dr. Charles Windon explains that Black Americans may have greater exposure to structural racism, the historical practices of redlining, and other social determinants of health that can both increase the risk of disease and affect its course. Compounding this, Black and Latinx communities have higher rates of cardiovascular disease and diabetes — both known dementia risk factors — and face higher rates of discrimination in healthcare settings that lead to delayed or missed diagnoses, with over half of Native American, Black, and Latinx caregivers reporting racial prejudice when navigating health care.