This Texas county has more than twice as much dementia as the rest of the US — what’s behind it

A county in southern Texas, near the US-Mexico border, is suffering from a bit of an epidemic.

Starr County has emerged as a national hotspot — not for tourism or industry, but for having one of the highest rates of dementia in the country.

Roughly one in five seniors here have dementia, which is more than twice the average rate in the US.

Gladys Maestre, director of the Rio Grande Valley Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research, told the Daily Mail that this figure is likely only the “tip of the iceberg,” as the real number is probably “much, much higher.”

“I have also seen so many people aged around 50 already sick,” she said. “The only way to give accurate estimations is by doing an epidemiological study, door by door in this case.”

The reasons for this phenomenon, however, are harder to define.

“Patients will come in and say, ‘So have you figured it out? What is it?’” Jessica Cantú, a county resident who works in its first Alzheimer’s-specific research site, El Faro Health and Therapeutics, told The Atlantic this week.

“I don’t know what it is that’s causing all of this.”

Dementia — the progressive decline in thinking, remembering and reasoning skills — affects about one in 10 Americans 65 and older. The neuro-cognitive disorder accounts for more than 100,000 deaths each year.

Dementia isn’t caused by a single factor, but rather by damage to brain cells that affects their ability to communicate.

There are many risk factors for dementia, including physical inactivity, smoking, obesity, depression, lower levels of education, social isolation, traumatic brain injury and air pollution.

The Atlantic reported that the poverty rate in Starr County hovers around 30%, and diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease are prevalent. Access to healthcare is limited, and many adults don’t have health insurance.

The average temperature in Texas in the summer is a high of 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Studies show extreme heat increases hospitalization rates among people with dementia.

Maestre believes pollution — especially toxins recently found in the water in their homes — are to blame.

“I think this is a perfect storm, where environmental issues and adverse early life experiences come together to make the brain more vulnerable,” she said. 

“When I say life experiences I mean not only pollutants, I mean extreme heat, and a car-centric environment.”

In this county, these factors compound over time.

But there is one silver lining: Many people here are living longer than expected, even with high rates of dementia.

This longevity, often observed among Hispanic populations despite health and economic challenges, may be supported by cultural attitudes that view dementia as a natural part of aging.

Of Starr County’s 66,000 residents, around 97% identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Here, seniors with dementia often remain at home and are cared for by friends and family.

“He was never, never — since the day I brought him to my home — he was never one day alone,” Juan “Manny” Saenz told The Atlantic of his father, who recently died after battling dementia. “We take care of our own.”

This is important, given that research shows social isolation can worsen dementia — and loneliness can even increase your risk of developing the disease by as much as 60%.

In fact, residents of Ikaria, Greece credit their strong sense of community as one of the reasons behind their impressively low rates of dementia.

A recent study identified six modifiable lifestyle factors that could dramatically reduce your risk of dementia and late-life depression, including alcohol intake, cognitive exercises, diet, physical activity, a sense of purpose and social fitness.