ORLANDO, Fla. — According to a new study published by the Alzheimer’s Association, Latinos in the United States, particularly Latinos in Florida, have a higher chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s — the neurological disease that impacts the memory of more than 6 million Americans.

The report found six Florida counties — including Orange and Osceola — placed in the top 100 counties in the United States for having 10,000 or more residents aged 65 years or older diagnosed with the disease.

In an unrelated study, researchers found that Hispanics are 1.5 times more likely than whites to have dementia.

“Despite evidence that Hispanic/Latino populations are 1.5 times more likely than non-Latino whites to develop Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), Latinos are underrepresented in clinical trials testing treatments for ADRD,” the authors of the study wrote. 

Citing that the U.S. Hispanic population accounts for 18% of the country’s population, but only 2% of participants in clinical trials on Alzheimer’s disease, authors of the report and Alzheimer experts have argued for more data on clinical trial participation among Latinos with the disease.

“We need to really focus on making sure that we create that access opportunity for the Hispanic community,” said Alzheimer’s Association diversity, equity and inclusion director Keith Gibson, who argued that more access should be given to Latinos to participate in clinical studies. “We need to educate not only about the disease but also about the benefits of being involved in clinical trials and research.”

Data gathered by the Alzheimer’s Association hits close to home for some — particularly to Latinos in Central Florida who have been diagnosed with the disease.

“I can’t be the magic wand, but I can be of use to the scientist to create that magic wand,” said Francisco "Paco" Rios, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at 46-years-old.

A former lawyer from Puerto Rico, Rios said he comes from a family lineage of Alzheimer’s. However, he said his diagnosis came unexpectedly early.

To Rios and his wife, Zahydie Burgos, the journey has been challenging, but he looks forward to being among the few Latinos who participate in Alzheimer’s research.

According to the National Institutes of Health, Latinos account for only 2% of participants on clinical trials on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The lack of accessibility to these studies has pushed doctors to believe that language and the lack of Hispanic doctors in medicine contribute to why few Latinos participate in Alzheimer’s research.

“Being a minority group here in the United States, we try to go to doctors that look like us, but most of us do not speak our language,” said Dr. Lourdes Benes, a neurologist in Central Florida who works largely with Latino patients. “What we hear from our patients is that they do not feel comfortable speaking to them.”

According to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, less than 10% of neurologists identify as Hispanics. Of the roughly 30,000 practicing neurologists in the U.S., just 2% of non-Hispanic physicians are fluent and can speak Spanish to their patients.

When diagnosed, experts say Hispanics are typically diagnosed in the later stages of the disease. As a result of receiving a late diagnosis, Hispanics diagnosed with Alzheimer’s “use substantially more hospital, physician, and home health services — and incur substantially higher costs for those services — than whites with Alzheimer’s,” the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement wrote in their 2020 Fact Sheet Report.

“The journey is all the feels,” Burgos said when asked about her husband's diagnosis. “You know, some days, it’s … we laugh a lot, and we have the best time ever. And sometimes we just cry."