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June 12, 2007:
The number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s
disease will jump to 106 million by 2050 as
opposed to the current number of 26 million, a
study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore,
Maryland, the United States, have predicted.
The study has been published in the journal
Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
The biggest increase in Alzheimer’s would occur in
Asia – the number of cases will rise from 12.65
million in 2006 to 62.85 million in 2050 in Asia.
The study also predicts that, by 2050, 43% of
those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease will
require specialised care in a nursing home.
Ron Brookmeyer, lead researcher, and colleagues
say that if the onset of Alzheimer’s could be
delayed by just one year, it would mean that 12
million new cases could be averted for that long.
Brookmeyer paints a fearsome picture when he says
“we face a looming global epidemic of Alzheimer’s
disease as the world’s population ages. By 2050, 1
in 85 persons worldwide will have Alzheimer’s
disease. However, if we can make even modest
advances in preventing Alzheimer’s disease or
delay its progression, we could have a huge global
public health impact.”
He blamed the increasing ageing population for the
growth in the disease as a lot of drugs are now
available which have increased the overall life
span of people.
Alzheimer’s is mainly a neurological disorder
where a person slowly and progressively starts
losing his memory due to gradual loss of brain
cells. It is the most common form of dementia
(loss of intellectual ability) and is the fourth
leading cause of deaths in adults.
The causes of Alzheimer’s disease are still vague
and unknown. It is believed to affect people with
increasing age and one in five people over the age
of 80 years with 5% of those over 65 having some
form of the disease.
Alzheimer’s is caused gradually and the entire
process is divided into seven stages. Its symptoms
include loss of memory, confusion, and problems
with speech and understanding. The other major
symptoms are aphasia, apraxia, and agnosia.
Impairment is also caused in the frontal and
temporal lobes of the brain, leading to fading of
decision-making and planning abilities.
Researchers have been trying to formulate various
methods to prevent dementia, which is most seen
among the elderly, but the various medications
available do not promise a full cure though they
help in ameliorating memory. Effective treatment
is possible only in very few patients.
BY OUR PHARMA CORRESPONDENT
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