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Increased Prevalence in Alzheimer Disease in the Northeast Tennessee Region of the United States
Sylvester Olubolu Orimaye, Jodi L Southerland, Adekunle O. Oke, Aderonke Ajibade. Southern Medical Journal, 2020-07-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
The PORs of AD in rural counties in NTR increased by 18.3%, 4.7%, and 19% compared with urban counties for 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. The POR of AD for the entire NTR region increased by 22.7%, 22.5%, and 21.2% compared with other regions in Tennessee for 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. Compared with 2012, 68.4% of respondents currently work with more individuals with AD; 71.8% reported that the NTR has a higher number of late-stage diagnoses of AD. A total of 92.3% strongly agreed that early detection of AD is important, and 95% agreed that early diagnosis could prolong the lives of patients with AD; 51.2% were unaware of existing AD screening services. Reported barriers were denial, lack of patient awareness, inefficient screening methods, communication, and lack of community resources. Increased prevalence of AD among inhabitants in the NTR and identified barriers to early screening or diagnosis in the management of AD were identified. Access to early screening techniques must be prioritized in deprived areas within the NTR. Healthcare providers and medical professionals in the NTR must be well equipped with the required training and resources to respond adequately to the increasing prevalence of AD.
Key findings
- The PORs of AD in rural counties in NTR increased by 18.3%, 4.7%, and 19% compared with urban counties for 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively.
- The POR of AD for the entire NTR region increased by 22.7%, 22.5%, and 21.2% compared with other regions in Tennessee for 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively.
- Compared with 2012, 68.4% of respondents currently work with more individuals with AD; 71.8% reported that the NTR has a higher number of late-stage diagnoses of AD.
- A total of 92.3% strongly agreed that early detection of AD is important, and 95% agreed that early diagnosis could prolong the lives of patients with AD; 51.2% were unaware of existing AD screening services.
- Reported barriers were denial, lack of patient awareness, inefficient screening methods, communication, and lack of community resources.
Why it matters
This study found higher prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in rural counties and across the Northeast Tennessee region compared with urban counties and other regions of Tennessee, and identified barriers to early screening and diagnosis such as denial, lack of patient awareness, inefficient screening methods, and lack of community resources. The authors call for prioritizing access to early screening in deprived areas, but this is about detection and resources, not treating, curing, or preventing the disease.
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Study details
- Participants92
- Effect sizeincreased by 18.3%; 4.7%; increased by 22.7%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 32/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 31 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 32 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Southern Medical Journal) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Southern Medical Journal: journal h-index 134 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 92 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 2 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.2 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 2 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Aderonke Ajibade holds only 1 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | East Tennessee State University: institution h-index 245 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 32617597) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 31 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 31 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 32 out of 100. |
| Total | 32 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Orimaye, S. O., Southerland, J. L., Oke, A. O., & Ajibade, A. (2020). Increased Prevalence in Alzheimer Disease in the Northeast Tennessee Region of the United States. Southern Medical Journal. https://doi.org/10.14423/smj.0000000000001116
Vancouver
Orimaye SO, Southerland JL, Oke AO, Ajibade A. Increased Prevalence in Alzheimer Disease in the Northeast Tennessee Region of the United States. Southern Medical Journal. 2020. doi:10.14423/smj.0000000000001116. PMID: 32617597.
BibTeX
@article{orimaye2020-32617597,
author = {Orimaye, Sylvester Olubolu and Southerland, Jodi L and Oke, Adekunle O. and Ajibade, Aderonke},
title = {{Increased Prevalence in Alzheimer Disease in the Northeast Tennessee Region of the United States}},
journal = {Southern Medical Journal},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.14423/smj.0000000000001116},
pmid = {32617597},
url = {https://doi.org/10.14423/smj.0000000000001116}
}
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