Number of Sufferers Affected by Dementia Is Rising

A new report shows that the number of sufferers affected by dementia is rising, as approximately 47 million people worldwide experience dementia at the present time. Making a comparison with 2009, back then there had been identified 35 million cases of dementia. It has been estimated that 10 million new instances of dementia will be detected in 2015. This will happen at intervals involving a matter of seconds.

Health experts said in a report made available on Tuesday that the number of patients with dementia was inclined to increase every 20 years. The study was published by Alzheimer’s Disease International and it was called World Alzheimer Report 2015. In the report it has also been estimated that 132 million people will be affected by dementia in 2050.

Statistics show that approximately 58 percent of dementia patients live in Western developing countries, whereas about 50 percent will be living in Asia by 2050.

Dementia affects mostly elders, and is a deterioration of intellectual faculties, including memory, judgement and concentration. It is the consequence of an organic illness or a disorder of the brain. Symptoms may also include personality changes and emotional disturbance. Therefore, dementia is a degenerative illness originating in the brain. The decline in the patient’s ability to think is evident. At the present time, a cure hasn’t been developed yet. One can only hope that medical science advances and doctors would come up with a cure.

Dementia cases vary, but Alzheimer’s is the most common form encountered so far. As people age, the risk of developing dementia increases.

Four in 1,000 people are affected with senility. This is valid by the time elders turn 60 to 64 years of age. The ratio ascends to 105 in 1,000 people, as they reach 90 years of age.

Moreover, as more cases are identified and as the population ages, the number of sufferers is expected to rise.

Health officials urge governments to treat the matter cautiously and provide sufferers of dementia with means of treatment, via proper legislation, as the general costs for treating dementia could reach $1 trillion in about three years. In 2015 the global costs rose to $818 billion.

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