- Although there are no official records in Mexico, it is estimated that there are at least one million 300 thousand people with Alzheimer’s.
- This neurodegenerative disease is the main cause of dementia in adults over 65 years of age.
- Despite progress in research into this brain disorder, to date there are still no effective treatments or cures.
The list of diseases is endless and new ones that endanger life constantly appear. At the same time, there are some that have increased their incidence in recent decades, such as Alzheimer’s. In that sense, the main considerations that must be taken into account are that to date there is no cure and what causes it is not known with certainty.
To put it in perspective, it is estimated that globally there are more than 60 million people with this neurodegenerative disease, making it the most common of its type. While in Mexico, according to figures from the Ministry of Health (SSa)it is estimated that more than one million 300 thousand inhabitants suffer from it, a figure that represents 60 to 70 percent of the total diagnoses of dementia.
LATE, a new form of dementia that is confused with Alzheimer’s
He Alzheimer’s It affects the memory, thinking and behavior of people who suffer from it. It is the main cause of dementia in adults over 65 years of age, and although there has been numerous progress in research into this brain disorder, to date there is still no effective treatment or cure.
Why have cases increased so much in the world?
Now, according to Ana Seubert Ravelo, who is a researcher at the Iztacala Faculty of Higher Studies of the UNAM, There are two reasons why this disease has increased. The first is the increase in life expectancy and the second is the aging process that is currently being recorded.
It mentions that although between 60 and 80 percent of dementia cases are caused mainly by Alzheimer’s disease, between five and 10 percent of dementia cases are also caused by vascular pathology (mainly small cerebral infarcts). While in a relevant quantity there is a mixture of both pathologies.
For her part, the university researcher specifies that senile dementia does not exist, since age in itself is not the cause of it. She points out that Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging but the result of complex changes in the brain that begin years before symptoms appear and that cause the loss of neurons and their connections.
Chart of the day: How many cases of dementia will there be in the world in 2050?
With this in mind, most cases of dementia occur after turning 65 although this is not a general rule. Although to a lesser extent, cases also occur in young adults.
Usually those with early onset have a significant genetic component: family history, parents, siblings, uncles or grandparents affected by a gene that is transmitted from one generation to another.
#UNAM Bulletin Alzheimer’s, the most common neurodegenerative disease in the world > https://t.co/ih8oiYjjtj pic.twitter.com/8UW8oVDKIo
— UNAM Press Room (@SalaPrensaUNAM) September 19, 2023
In its initial phases it is characterized by cognitive deficits and difficulties creating new memories. Initially, long-term memory is preserved, while short-term memory is affected. In addition, executive functions also begin to be damaged, which implies all these abilities to adapt to novel or high-demand situations. We begin to see that the person loses the ability to make decisions in complex situations and their planning ability decreases.
As the disease progresses, damage is observed in other cognitive domains such as visuospatial function, that is, the ability to tell where objects are in space, difficulties increase in voluntary motor coordination, language, and memory impairment. becomes more prominent.
Main risk factors
The specialist points out that there are a series of risk factors for suffering from it. Although the main ones are the age and the presence of certain risk genes, there are other factors that can be modifiable. Among them, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, consumption of junk food, depression and social isolation, smoking, as well as head injuries that could generate neurological sequelae.
For its part, although aging is a risk factor, you can age in a healthy way and although this disease and other related dementias are not inevitable in this process, it is possible to delay them and give those affected quality of life through activity. physical health and, from an early age, promote vascular health, that is, reduce factors of hypertension and heart disease.
In addition, maintain a balanced diet such as the Mediterranean, for example, high in white fish, seeds and olive oil, as well as maintain a healthy weight and maintain social activity.
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Chart of the day: How many cases of dementia will there be in the world in 2050?
