Health & Medicine
Dementia Currently Affects Over 46 Million People Worldwide
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Aug 25, 2015 11:11 AM EDT
Dementia estimates show that every 67 seconds, a person in the United States develops the neurodegenerative illness associated with decline in memory and other thinking skills--the most common of these brain diseases being Alzheimer's disease.
New findings from the World Alzheimer Report 2015 produced by Alzheimer's Disease International reveal that the number of people who have dementia worldwide will go from 47 million today to 132 million in the year 2050. And health officials warn that without some kind of medical breakthrough, the number of dementia cases is likely to double approximately every 20 years, according to The Washington Post.
The costs of treating dementia are also estimated to jump to $1 trillion in just three years, calling for governments to adopt better treatment for those with the disease that has no known cure at this time, according to a news release from the organization.
Background on Dementia: Dementia is hard to categorize as it's not a specific disease and can go from a wide range of symptoms depending on the affected individual. Alzheimer's disease, being the most common, affects about 60 to 80 percent of cases, while Vascular dementia, which occurs following a stroke, is the second most common dementia type, according to the Alzheimer's Association. However, there are many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia, including some that are reversible, such as thyroid problems and some vitamin deficiencies.
Some, but not all symptoms, may include memory loss, difficulties with communication and language, inability to focus and pay attention, problems with reasoning and judgment and issues with visual perception. At least two of the following core mental functions must be significantly impaired to even be considered for dementia.
What's going on in the brain? Dementia is the result of damaged brain cells that interfere with an affected individuals ability to communicate properly with one another; this leads to behavior problems, thinking issues and problems with feeling and communication.
Different types of dementia affect different regions of the brain. For instance, in Alzheimer's disease, high levels of certain proteins inside and outside brain cells make it difficult for brain cells to stay healthy and communicate with other cells in the hippocampus--the learning center and memory compartment of the organ.
Treatment and care: There is no known cure for dementia. Yet. However, health officials are working to actively improve the health issue, particularly as it will affect an extremely high number of individuals as time progresses. There are drug treatments that can slow the progression of the disease as well as temporarily improve symptoms. There are also non-drug therapies that can alleviate some symptoms of dementia.
Related Articles
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
TagsHealth, Human, Dementia, united states, Countries, Developing, Treatment, Cure, alzheimers, Alzheimer's Diase, AD ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: Aug 25, 2015 11:11 AM EDT
Dementia estimates show that every 67 seconds, a person in the United States develops the neurodegenerative illness associated with decline in memory and other thinking skills--the most common of these brain diseases being Alzheimer's disease.
New findings from the World Alzheimer Report 2015 produced by Alzheimer's Disease International reveal that the number of people who have dementia worldwide will go from 47 million today to 132 million in the year 2050. And health officials warn that without some kind of medical breakthrough, the number of dementia cases is likely to double approximately every 20 years, according to The Washington Post.
The costs of treating dementia are also estimated to jump to $1 trillion in just three years, calling for governments to adopt better treatment for those with the disease that has no known cure at this time, according to a news release from the organization.
Background on Dementia: Dementia is hard to categorize as it's not a specific disease and can go from a wide range of symptoms depending on the affected individual. Alzheimer's disease, being the most common, affects about 60 to 80 percent of cases, while Vascular dementia, which occurs following a stroke, is the second most common dementia type, according to the Alzheimer's Association. However, there are many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia, including some that are reversible, such as thyroid problems and some vitamin deficiencies.
Some, but not all symptoms, may include memory loss, difficulties with communication and language, inability to focus and pay attention, problems with reasoning and judgment and issues with visual perception. At least two of the following core mental functions must be significantly impaired to even be considered for dementia.
What's going on in the brain? Dementia is the result of damaged brain cells that interfere with an affected individuals ability to communicate properly with one another; this leads to behavior problems, thinking issues and problems with feeling and communication.
Different types of dementia affect different regions of the brain. For instance, in Alzheimer's disease, high levels of certain proteins inside and outside brain cells make it difficult for brain cells to stay healthy and communicate with other cells in the hippocampus--the learning center and memory compartment of the organ.
Treatment and care: There is no known cure for dementia. Yet. However, health officials are working to actively improve the health issue, particularly as it will affect an extremely high number of individuals as time progresses. There are drug treatments that can slow the progression of the disease as well as temporarily improve symptoms. There are also non-drug therapies that can alleviate some symptoms of dementia.
Related Articles
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone