AAN 2022 | Neurological health disparities

Richard T. Benson, MD, PhD, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD, discusses health care disparities in neurology. Stroke is one of the largest areas of disparities in neurological diseases; data from the Northern Manhattan Stroke study shows that stroke is two times more common in African Americans and 1.5 times more common in Hispanics than Whites. Outcome disparities in Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and other disease areas have also been reported. However, it is difficult to track some of the causes for the disparities observed since there is insufficient data. Therefore, efforts should be made to improve race and ethnicity data collection to better understand and tackle disparities in the field. This interview took place at the American Academy of Neurology 2022 Congress in Seattle, WA.