World Alzheimer's Day 2024: Managing BP, diabetes, obesity can reduce risk of dementia by 60 pc, say experts

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Blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity are preventable risk factors that can help reduce the chances or reverse the odds of dementia by 60 per cent, said experts on World Alzheimer's Day on Saturday.

World Alzheimer's Day is commemorated every year on September 21 to raise awareness about the stigma associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease and to increase public understanding of these disorders.

The theme this year is "Time to act on dementia, Time to act on Alzheimer's".

Alzheimer's disease, a debilitating, cognitive, and neurological disorder, gradually erodes a person's memory, language skills, thinking skills, and ability to perform even the simplest tasks.

It primarily affects individuals over the age of 65 and is the leading cause of dementia in older adults.

It is one of the most common causes of dementia or memory loss. The incidence of Alzheimer's disease in India is growing steadily while it may not be alarming. The disease is affecting the elderly more, but it is also showing signs of increase in the younger population.

"The time to act on dementia is to work on the preventable risk factors of dementia. And if we work on the preventable risk factors of dementia, we can reduce or reverse dementia by 60 per cent," Dr Manjari Tripathi, head of the neurology department, at AIIMS, told IANS.

So what are these preventable risk factors?

"Controlling blood pressure, diabetes, not smoking or drinking alcohol, and reducing body weight or obesity levels. There should also be no insomnia. Take treatment for insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea, because sleep, if impaired, can impair memory," Tripathi said.

In addition, leading an unhealthy lifestyle which is sedentary, with no exercise; or not learning any new skill in old age, being passive, just sitting on the chair, or staying more on the couch may also harm cognitive functions.

Research, published in Alzheimer's and Dementia, revealed that 7.4 per cent of people aged 60 and older live with dementia in India, amounting to roughly 8.8 million individuals. The study was done using nationally representative data collected in India from 2017 to 2020.

Strikingly, dementia prevalence was found to be higher among females (9 per cent) compared to males (5.8 per cent), particularly in rural areas.

The research highlights that the number of Indians with dementia could rise to 16.9 million by 2036 if current trends continue.

"Women have a much higher lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer's than men. This could be due to a mix of biological, genetic, and lifestyle factors," Dr Arindam Ghosh, Consultant - Neurologist, Narayana Health, Kolkata, told IANS.

"In India, where women's life expectancy is longer, we see a notable gender disparity in Alzheimer's cases," Ghosh added.

The experts stressed the need for boosting awareness about the condition which can help in early diagnosis.

Tripathi explained that Alzheimer's has three stages -- early, middle, and late. Therapy is begun in the early stage to prevent the disease from progressing at a fast rate.

"It is essential that all people are brought in early when the early symptoms start, after which tests can be done to make the diagnosis," the neurologist said.

Early symptoms include memory loss that disrupts daily life, poor judgement, losing track of dates or knowing the current location, repeating questions, or forgetting recently learned information.

"The diagnosis is made carefully by taking clinical history from the caregiver, and other neuropsychological tests, like MRI brain, blood tests like Vitamin B12, thyroid, Vitamin D. There are also biomarker tests, after which we do a PET brain test, and then diagnosis can be achieved," Tripathi told IANS.

The expert suggested people start actively making a healthy lifestyle, with proper diet and aerobic exercises, especially after the age of 35.

Besides a healthy lifestyle, she suggested people indulge in cognitive tasks like puzzles, sudoku, art, music, pet therapy, learning a new dance, learning a new language, and learning new skills -- basically to have a purpose in life.

"If you can act on all these then we can prevent dementia. That is why it is time to act on dementia. All these actions need to start by the age of 35 gradually," Tripathi said.

Also Read: Spend too much time in front of screens? That coupled with no exercise may lead to digital dementia

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