Dementia threatens to become a monster

Dementia threatens to become a monster

A group of international experts, in association with Alzheimer's Disease International, a London-based institution, has estimated that the number of dementia cases in humans is going to increase two-fold every 2 decades or so in the future, especially affecting the developing nations.

The estimate was published in a report of the ADI in the journal Lancet, and is based on a studied review of printed cases of the debilitating disease.

Dementia is currently growing at an alarming rate of one every seven seconds with 4.6 million cases added to the cauldron annually. About 24.3 million human beings are already suffering from the disease. The figure is estimated to rise to 42 million in 20 years and a hugely disastrous 81.1 million by 2040, if nothing is done to prevent the disease further. With such a propensity for growth, dementia is turning out to be one of the most monstrous destroyer diseases of the world.

The report in Lancet says that the maximum number of dementia sufferers is from the developing world. China has 5 million cases as against 4.8 million of Western Europe and 3.4 million from North America.

Dementia is a grave mental disorder which can be brought on by brain injury or disease. It affects memory, thinking, speech and behavior seriously. Alzheimer's is the main trigger causing dementia in aged people, also known as senile dementia. It remains largely incurable but certain drugs can slow the pace of deterioration or provide some alleviation of symptoms.

Alzheimer's disease also remains a partial mystery. As per current medical theories, it is associated with a slow build-up of what are known as amyloid beta protein plaques inside the brain. Degeneration of brain muscles is also related to the mental disease. Apart from Alzheimer's, stroke is another major trigger towards dementia. Patients of chronic dementia need regular and constant care from someone.

The gravity of the problem should be drawing more government attention across the globe now, the experts say. The chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, Neil Hunt says that governments must act swiftly to ensure sufficient funds for treatment and care of dementia sufferers. The other related problem is that too many dementia cases are not diagnosed and reported, indicating a deeper issue of unawareness and social stigma, because of which proper care does not reach patients in dire need.

The statistics of the report has heavy interpretation for policy framers and the medical fraternity alike. A quick look at current government involvement in the issue shows that in Britain, health care for about 224,000 dementia patients costs nearly 4.6 billion pounds, which is about 0.6 % of the GDP.

In the developed nations, a 100 % rise in dementia cases has been projected in the next 40 years. The most badly affected pockets will be Latin America and Africa which might witness a 400% increase.

In south Asia and western Pacific nations, especially China and India, the problem is estimated to grow over 300 %. In 2001, China alone had 5 million cases, equivalent to the number in the whole of EU and tremendously over the mark of 2.9 million in the US.

The experts who tabled the report on dementia strongly recommend steps towards public health which help to lower risk factors in brain blood vessel damage, for example high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and cholesterol. The U.S. Alzheimer's Association is in tandem with such a strategy, delineating that changes and maintenance of a certain pattern in life can go a long way to preserve one's mental faculties.

A physical regime, like playing a game can prevent degeneration of brain muscles. According to the analysts, the lack of healthy lifestyles all over the globe is perhaps the single biggest cause contributing towards dementia becoming an uncontrollable monster.