KARACHI: The Pakistan Society of Neurology in association with the AKUH organized a webinar under the title "Update on Alzheimer's Disease". The webinar was addressed by nine neurologists from three countries. Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest of tasks.
The WHO has declared September 21 as the World Alzheimer's Day to make people aware about latest developments and treatment. An estimated 50 million people across the world suffered from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, and the number of sufferers is expected to go up to 150 million by 2050.
Dr. Abdul Malik, an associate professor of neurology at the LCMD, while speaking on the "Burden of Dementia in Pakistan", said that the Alzheimer's disease affects the elderly, and currently 4.3% of the population of Pakistan is over 60 years of age. Due to this, the number of dementia patients in Pakistan is also increasing, so proper guidance and awareness is needed.
Presenting Alzheimer's data in a global context, Dr. Manmohan Singh from New Delhi said that 50 million Alzheimer's patients have been diagnosed worldwide and the number is expected to reach 152 million by 2050. Dr Keira Joann from Singapore, presenting a new research, said that the risk factors of Alzheimer's include depression, hypertension, obesity and smoking.
Dr. Muhammad Wasay, head of the neurology department at the Aga Khan University Hospital, said that the treatment of Alzheimer's took a long time, and if the treatment was not started on time, the disease becomes extremely severe in 6 to 7 years.
There are medications that only slow the progression of the disease a few years if the patient is being treated at an early stage. He said that the most important thing with medicine in this disease is the family members who take proper care of the patient and prevent the patient from getting complicated. For this, the patient's family members are counseled so that they can improve the patient's life with utmost respect.
Dr. Sajid Hameed from the Aga Khan University Hospital explained the usefulness of the "Mini-Mental State Examination" as a screening tool for early diagnosis of this disease all over the world by 11 questions in 5-10 minutes to screen observation, calculation and memory skills.
Regarding prevention of Alzheimer's, Dr. Salimullah said that a good and early education of children also has an effect in preventing or eradicating the disease. Dr. Salim Barich, president of the Pakistan Society of Neurology at the Bolan Medical College in Quetta, thanked the guests and stressed the need for CMEs and training programs on the subject, as well as an affordable solution for patients.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020