2012-04-11 14:47:49

World Health Organization: Dementia cases on the rise


Worldwide, nearly 35.6 million people live with dementia. This number is expected to double by 2030 (65.7 million) and more than triple by 2050 (115.4 million). Dementia affects people in all countries, with more than half (58%) living in low- and middle-income countries. By 2050, this is likely to rise to more than 70%.

A new report "Dementia: a public health priority", published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Alzheimer's Disease International, recommends that programmes focus on improving early diagnosis; raising public awareness about the disease and reducing stigma; and providing better care and more support to caregivers.

“We recognize that there is no cure for dementia at this point in time, but there is a lot of possibilities for management and care of people with dementia, as well as the family members who are the cornerstone for looking after these people,” said Dr. Shekhar Saxena, the Director of the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

“Early identification by the primary health care system, which is there in most countries, will be the first step,” he told Vatican Radio. “

But after that careful planning of the care of people with dementia, including social assistance, a few medicines are possible to provide some help, and also looking after the needs of people with dementia, preferably within the family, which is the recommended position from the WHO. The first step will obviously be for the government to plan for such care, so that they can strengthen their health and social care systems to look after the increasing needs of people who will have dementia.”

Dementia is a syndrome, usually of a chronic nature, caused by a variety of brain illnesses that affect memory, thinking, behaviour and ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and possibly contributes to up to 70% of cases. Although dementia affects people in all countries, more than half (58%) live in low- and middle-income countries. This is likely to rise to more than 70% by 2050.

Listen to the full interview by Christopher Wells with Dr. Shekhar Saxena: RealAudioMP3








All the contents on this site are copyrighted ©.