INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
is predicted that the prevalence of dementia will significantly increase in the future.In general, neurodegenerative diseases in which brain
tissue deteriorates are called dementia
vascular dementia or a combination of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease
Less common types of dementia are also known as Lewy body dementia or frontotemporal dementia.In diseases where the brain tissue is
destroyed, in fact, the brain cells in certain parts of the brain are gradually destroyed and the brain has shrunk or atrophied, Maryam
Abbasinejad, an expert in the mental health office of the Ministry of Health, said.Dementia symptoms are different depending on which part
of the brain is more degraded
Symptoms may include memory problems, difficulty processing thoughts, speech problems, movement problems, loss of executive functions of the
brain, or reduced learning ability, she explained.Different pathways may lead to dementia
For example, the main cause of Alzheimer's is unknown, but it has been seen that some genetic factors influence its occurrence, but it is
not necessarily a hereditary disease, but some genes related to Alzheimer's are known, she said.In histological studies, they have seen that
there are certain substances in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, and these substances have played a role in the degeneration of brain
tissue, she added.Studies show that about 8 percent of the elderly, i.e
people over 65 years old, suffer from dementia, which is almost the same number estimated in our country.By calculating the total elderly
population of Iran, it is clear that there are about 800,000 people with dementia, but many of these people are not known, and maybe only
one-fifth of the mentioned number is diagnosed.In general, dementia is a disease that is difficult and late to diagnose, and even many
doctors and specialists may not pay attention to this disease and do not diagnose it on time.The World Health Organization predicts that
dementia will become an important health problem in most countries in the next 50 years.In Iran, the age group born in the 1360s constitutes
the largest demographic group, who will enter old age in the next 20 or 30 years, and it is predicted that the prevalence of dementia will
increase in the country in the future.National screening programA national screening program will be implemented for 120,000 senior citizens
between the ages of 60 and 75 suffering from Alzheimer's, Afrouz Safarifar, an official with the Welfare Organization, said on Wednesday.The
dementia screening program will be piloted in two provinces of Yazd and Qazvin and then in the whole country, she announced.Every 3
population is increasing in nearly every country, this number is expected to rise to 78 million in 2030 and 139 million in 2050.The
estimated proportion of the general population aged 60 and over with dementia at a given time is between 5-8 percent.Dementia has
significant social and economic implications in terms of direct medical and social care costs, and the costs of informal care
In 2019, the estimated total global societal cost of dementia was US$ 1.3 trillion, and these costs are expected to surpass US$ 2.8 trillion
by 2030 as both the number of people living with dementia and care costs increase.FB/MG
