- It is estimated that in Mexico approximately 1.3 million people suffer from it.
- The National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery implements actions aimed at detecting different types of dementia early.
- Every September 21, World Alzheimer’s Day is commemorated, a neurodegenerative dementia caused by the gradual destruction of neurons.
Dementia is a syndrome that causes impairment of memory, thinking, behavior, and the ability to perform daily activities. The main risk for suffering from it is age and the most common type among the population over 65 years of age is Alzheimer’sreported the deputy director of Teaching of the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery (INNN) “Manuel Velasco Suárez”, Ramiro Ruiz García.
It is estimated that in Mexico approximately one million 300 thousand people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease; However, this figure could be higher, since many cases are not diagnosed due to lack of information; “It is thought that as you age it is normal to lose your memory, which is totally wrong,” he noted.
He highlighted that the INNN carries out a series of actions aimed at detecting the different types of dementia early, with the purpose that diagnosed patients receive pharmacological treatment and occupational therapy, cognitive and physical rehabilitation.
He explained that the institute is currently collecting information through a survey among medical personnel in the areas of neurology, geriatrics and psychiatry, to know what stages patients with dementia reach.
According to the data obtained so far, it has been identified that around 70 percent of the patients treated at the institute for dementia arrive in advanced stages of the disease.
Among the actions contemplated is the training of general practitioners, since, being the primary contact with the patient, they have the opportunity to identify memory loss, the main alarm signal, through the medical history. .
“The detection of dementia can be carried out by a general practitioner previously trained and trained in how to address cognition and behavior in a basic and rapid way, for which there are screening tests and a questionnaire that must be integrated into the clinical history. of the patient.”
In an interview on the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Day, this September 21, the INNN Deputy Director of Education explained that this type of dementia is neurodegenerative and is caused by the alteration of certain proteins in the brain that cause neurons to be destroyed gradually and progressively.
He pointed out that changes at the brain level begin 20 years before symptoms appear.
The specialist said that Alzheimer’s disease should be considered a public health problem, since, given the increase in life expectancy, an accelerated increase is estimated in the coming decades.
Although it is unknown what triggers the disease, the presence of risk factors has been documented such as: low education, unattended depression, smoking, sedentary lifestyle and obesity.
Since 1994, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Alzheimer’s Federation established September 21 as World Alzheimer’s Day, with the aim of disseminating information about this disease to generate greater knowledge, raise awareness among the population and promote Those who suffer from it attend support groups.
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