According to a report by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) titled ‘Dementia in the Asia Pacific Region’ the number of people with dementia in the region will increase from 23 million in 2015 to almost 71 million by 2050. It also notes that by the middle of the century, more than half of the total number of people with dementia worldwide will live in the Asia Pacific region
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease, and is the most common form of dementia that usually starts mild and gets progressively worse. Early symptom is short-term memory loss (difficulty in remembering recent events), with disorientation, behavioural issues, problems with language, not understanding simple instructions, and mood swings and other cognitive difficulties in later stages. As the disease progresses, often the person affected secludes himself from family and society. The average life expectancy after being diagnosed in such cases is normally three to nine years (with variations in speed of progression of the disease).
World Alzheimer’s month
21st September, 2017 will mark the fifth global World Alzheimer’s Month, an international campaign to raise awareness and challenge the stigma that surrounds dementia. World Alzheimer’s Month was launched in 2012. The impact of World Alzheimer’s Month is growing, and people are more aware of the disease but the criticism and misinformation that surrounds dementia still remains a global problem that requires attention worldwide.
Important facts on Alzheimer’s disease
- Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.
- There are an estimated 44 million people who have Alzheimer’s or a related dementia worldwide.
- 2 in 3 people with Alzheimer’s disease are women.
- 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or other dementia.
- Due to the physical and emotional toll of caregiving, Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers had $9.7 billion in additional health care costs of their own in 2014.
- The global cost of Alzheimer’s and dementia is estimated to be $605 billion, which is equivalent to 1% of the entire world’s gross domestic product.
- Alzheimer’s and other dementias are the top cause for disabilities in later life.
Causes of Alzheimer’s disease
The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is poorly understood. It is a neurodegenerative disease, in which the total brain size shrinks and the nerve cells and connections get fewer gradually. If post-mortem/autopsy is done, the affected brain always shows tiny inclusions in the nerve tissue called plaques and tangles.
These plaques are a result of build-up of a protein called beta-amyloid (or "amyloid plaques") and are found between the dying cells in the brain. The tangles are formed within the brain neurons as a result of disintegration of another protein, called tau. Till date, there is no conclusive study that fully understands the reason behind this disease. Several different factors are believed to be involved. Factors that can act as a precursor to developing the condition include aging, a family history of Alzheimer’s, and carrying certain genes.
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease
The first symptoms of Alzheimer’s vary from person to person. Memory problems are typically one of the first signs of cognitive impairment related to Alzheimer’s disease. Symptoms can be diagnosed at any stage of Alzheimer’s and care and management can be dictated after monitoring the progression through the stages of the disease. For an initial diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, the medical practitioner must first be satisfied that there is dementia. It involves cognitive or behavioural symptoms that show a decline from previous levels of functioning and performing and interfere with ability to function at work or at usual activities.
The cognitive decline is in at least two of the five symptom areas listed below:
- Worsened ability to take in and remember new information
- Impairments to reasoning, complex tasking and exercising judgment
- Impaired visuospatial abilities
- Impaired speaking, reading and writing ...
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