A recent study has shown that Dementia will become a global burden if its risk is not addressed at the right time. According to an estimate, 153 million people will suffer from Dementia by 2050. The possible risk factors stated by the doctors are obesity, high blood pressure, and smoking. It is responsible for over 7 million cases. The places estimated to face the increased cases of Dementia will be Africa and the Middle East. The Asia Pacific Region and Western Europe can also rise in cases.
Dementia: An Insight Into The Impaired Ability
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Dementia is not a specific disease but it the general term for the impaired ability to think, remember or make decisions that will interfere with their daily activities. Alzheimer’s is one of the common types of Dementia. It mainly affects older adults who have attained the age of 65 years.
There will be almost 14 million patients by 2060. However, it is not the expected part of aging, but it may affect brain health due to diseases or injuries. It is also the seventh most progressive and leading cause of death. A global increase of 6.8 million cases is found between 2019 and 2050.
There is a wide variety of symptoms of this impaired ability, but it may vary from person to person. Most of them are:
- Attention and memory problems
- Problems with reasoning, problem-solving, and making judgments
- Communication problems
- Visual perception problems that may or may not be age-related
- Use of unusual words for the familiar objects
- Forgetting the near and dear ones, and old memories
- Dependency for the completion of the tasks
Besides, the Lancet Commission has published a report in 2020. The experts have suggested that one can prevent cases of Dementia if the person is not exposed to the following 12 risk factors.
- High blood pressure
- Low education levels
- Smoking
- Hearing impairment
- Midlife obesity
- Physical inactivity
- Depression
- Social isolation
- Diabetes
- Head injury
- Alcohol consumption
- Air pollution
Role of Technology in the Assessment and Diagnosis Of Dementia
As explained above, if some risk factors are controlled, then older adults will not fall into Dementia. Modern technological diagnosis devices can be used for diagnosis and assessment to make things simple. The use of the right type of technology will help monitor people with the signs and symptoms of Dementia.
It will help the experts take mainstream action by using the various machine learning approaches like PET Imaging devices, combined PET and MR imaging, MR Imaging, Cognitive devices, Monitoring of Gait Patterns, etc.
However, a new article published in one Neurology journal has remarked that people with increased literacy rates get an insight into the modifiable risk factors. The ones following the fitness regime may have a lower risk of suffering from Dementia if they follow healthy habits.