Dementia diagnosis rates according to ethnic groups: Analysis of primary care data in Bradford, UK

Abstract INTRODUCTION Ethnic differences in recorded dementia diagnosis may partially reflect differences in population age structure. We examined ethnic differences in recorded dementia incidence, age at diagnosis, and age at death using UK primary care data. METHODS We analyzed Connected Bradford data (2009–2019) for adults aged ≥ 45 years. Poisson regression estimated incidence rate ratios adjusted for age, sex, and deprivation. Linear regression examined age at diagnosis and death. Age structure–standardized analyses used post‐stratification weights. RESULTS Among 262,852 individuals, 4458 dementia diagnoses were identified. Most ethnic differences in recorded incidence attenuated after adjustment. Mixed/multiple ethnic groups had higher adjusted incidence than the White British group (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.64, 95% confidence interval 1.14–2.37). Differences in age at diagnosis and death among South Asian individuals attenuated and were no longer statistically significant after age‐structure standardization. DISCUSSION These findings highlight the importance of considering age structure and deprivation when interpreting ethnic differences in recorded dementia diagnosis.