WHO: Number of dementia sufferers to rise 40% to 78 million by 2030
pharmafile | September 3, 2021 | News story | Medical Communications |
A new report from the WHO has predicted the number of people suffering from dementia is set to rise by 40% to 78 million by 2030, and 139 million by 2050.
Dementia, a neurological disorder that impacts a person’s memory and costs the world $1.3 trillion a year, is set to rise due to aging populations. However, according to the WHO report, only one in four countries has a national policy in place to support dementia patients and their families.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General, said: “Dementia robs millions of people of their memories, independence and dignity, but it also robs the rest of us of the people we know and love.
“The world is failing people with dementia, and that hurts all of us.”
The report went on to address the disparity in care available for dementia sufferers, highlighting that medication, hygiene products, and household adjustments for dementia patients are more accessible in wealthy countries, which have a greater level of reimbursement than in lower-income countries.
Katrin Seeher, an expert in WHO’s department of mental health, told a news briefing: “Dementia truly is a global public health concern and not just in high-income countries. In fact, over 60% of people with dementia live in low- and middle-income countries.”
Dementia affects memory, orientation, learning capacity, language, judgement, and the ability to perform everyday tasks. The causes of dementia are mainly beloved to be strokes, brain injury, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Seeher noted that dementia can also affect people aged below 65, with young-onset dementia accounting for around 10% of all dementia cases.
However, developing dementia is not inevitable and some risk factors can be reduced, by controlling hypertension, diabetes, diet, depression, and the use of alcohol and tobacco, the WHO report noted.
Tarun Dua, a WHO expert, said: “These are the things that we can do to promote our brain health and decrease the cognitive decline and the risk for dementia. These are things that can be started at a younger age.”
Kat Jenkins
