Around 18 million people are suffering the affects of dementia in different parts of the world and there is need to initiate effective measures to ascertain the causes of this disease, which are still not known.
Dementia prevails through different means but the main ones is brain trauma, which could be closed to header or open head with different symptoms like forgetfulness, reversal sleeping pattern, change in behaviours along with physical change, hypertension, diabetes and stroke.
The Chairman, Faculty of Psychiatry Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro Dr Captain S. Jamil Hussain (retd) informed this while talking to newsmen here on Setp 20 in connection with the World Alzheimer's Day, which was observed on Friday September 21 like other parts of the world.
He said that World Alzheimer's Day (Dementia) is one of the permanent annual features to be organised with objective to create mass awareness regarding of Alzheimer's disease.
He said that exact causes of the disease are not yet known, however its biological process has been identified. Alzheimer's destroys cells in the brain, which in turn disrupts the transmitters that carry messages to the brain particularly those, which responsible for storing memories.
He said that scientists have also identified a number of risk factors and the age of the patient is one of the most significant factors. The chances of being affected are one in on thousand under the age of 65 and one in five over the age of 80 years old, he said and added that it clearly indicates that the risk of dementia increase with old age although the youngest person reported to have Alzheimer's is only 30 years old.
He said that other risk factors of prevalence of the disease included head injuries and genetic connection. In the field of sports, the disease mainly hit the boxers, who sustains head injuries and later lose their consciousness, he said adding that the families, who have genetic history of dementia also help in prevalence of the disease.
He said that declining memory, particularly short-term memory is the most common early symptom of dementia. People with ordinary forgetfulness can still remember other facts, associated with the thing they have forgotten, he said.
Assistant Professor Department of the Neurosurgery LUMHS Jamshoro Dr Riaz Ahmed Raja while speaking on the topic said that Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.
Dementia is a collective name for progressive degenerative brain syndromes, which affect memory, thinking, behaviour and emotion. He said that dementia knows no social, economic, ethnic or geographical boundaries. Although each person will experience dementia in their own way, eventually those affected are unable to care for themselves and need help with all aspects of daily life.
At present, there is no cure, but treatments, advice and support are available for its prevention.
He said that there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease or for most other causes of dementia at present many of the problems associated with dementia such as restlessness and depression can be treated. It could also be possible to improve someone's memory with medication particularly in the early stages, he said.
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