Dementia Expanding Worldwide at an Alarming Rate

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by Benny Arce

Current Period

Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), headed by Dr. Daisy Acosta, released a World Alzheimer Report indicating that there are over 35 million dementia cases all over the world.

The latest figures are an update of a report by British researchers in 2005 where they estimated worldwide dementia at the time at 24 million. The same report forecast that by 2010, dementia worldwide would be at 31 million. Since that report, however, numerous studies on Alzheimer’s in the developing countries have been conducted and published that forced experts at ADI to re-evaluate those projections. They are now convinced that the figure should be upped to 35.6 million cases by 2010.

This figure is distributed globally in both the developed and developing countries. Western Europe and South and Southeast Asia each are expected to have 7 million patients. For China and East Asia the projected figure is 5.5 million. Latin America will have 3 million. The forecast for North America varies from a low of 4.4 million to a high of 5 million.

As is generally expected, the more elderly people become, the greater the risk of dementia. One out of eight people aged 65 and over suffer from it.  For those over 85, half of them have the disease.

Projections

The rate of increase is equally, if not more so, alarming as the figure is expected to nearly double every 20 years. Based on this projection, there will be over 115 million cases in 2050.

The report further indicates a strong possibility of dementia cases growing more than 100 percent in some parts of Asia and Latin America. This contrasts to the 40 to 60 percent anticipated increase in Europe and North America. This is largely due to the more advanced medical technology of the latter, yet 40 to 60 percent is not exactly a comforting figure.

Attitudes towards Dementia

People in certain developing and even some developed countries tend not to take dementia seriously. Often it is deemed as just another reality associated with aging, not a disease that requires medical attention. Persons with dementia are left to themselves or confined to the house.

In India, people do not talk about dementia. When symptoms of the disease manifest themselves, they are referred to as the results of a “tired” or “weak brain”.

The same thing is true in the Philippines. When the elderly start forgetting things or getting lost in familiar places, they are simply becoming “forgetful because they are getting old.”

Even the more medically advanced British also believe this condition to be a normal part of aging.

It is this kind of attitude that, for one thing, skews statistics because a lot of cases are never reported. But, more importantly, it deprives the patients of proper medical attention and care.

What Should be Done

Clearly, the forecasts are disturbing. For this reason ADI is urging the World Health Organization and national governments to declare dementia as a health priority. Major investments are needed for research otherwise we will eventually have a global population where half suffer from the disease, with the other half taking care of them.

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