Dementia

• 04 Sep 2021

Why in News

Recently, the WHO (World Health Organisation) released a report ‘Global status report on the public health response to dementia’.

• It takes stock of progress made to date towards the 2025 global targets for dementia laid out in the WHO’s ‘Global Dementia Action Plan’ published in 2017.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • It is a syndrome – usually of a chronic or progressive nature – that leads to deterioration in cognitive function (i.e. the ability to process thought) beyond what might be expected from the usual consequences of biological ageing.
  • It affects memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgement.
    
    • However, the consciousness is not affected.
  • 65% of total deaths due to dementia are women, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to dementia are roughly 60% higher in women than in men.
• Symptoms:
  
  • Memory loss, Difficulties with thinking, Visual perception, Self-management, Problem solving or language and the ability to focus and pay attention.
  • Personality changes, like depression, agitation, paranoia, and mood swings.
• Causes:
  
  • When brain cells are damaged then dementia may occur. It can be caused by a head injury, a stroke, a brain tumour or due to HIV infection.
• Treatment:
  
  • There is currently no treatment available to cure dementia, though numerous new treatments are being investigated in various stages of clinical trials.
• Global Scenario:
  
  • Dementia is currently the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide.
  • More than 55 million people (8.1% of women and 5.4% of men over 65 years) are living with dementia.
  • This number is estimated to rise to 78 million by 2030 and to 139 million by 2050.
  • WHO’s Western Pacific Region has the highest number of people with dementia (20.1 million), followed by the European Region (14.1 million).
• WHO’s Efforts:
  
  • Global Action Plan on the Public Health Response to Dementia 2017-2025:
    
    • It provides a comprehensive blueprint for addressing dementia.
  • Global Dementia Observatory:
    • It is an international surveillance platform to facilitate monitoring and sharing of information on dementia policies, service delivery, epidemiology and research.
  • Guidelines on Risk Reduction of Cognitive Decline and Dementia:
    
    • It provides evidence- based recommendations on interventions for reducing modifiable risk factors for dementia.
  • Mental Health Gap Action Programme:
    
    • It is a resource for generalists, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, to help them provide first-line care for mental, neurological and substance use disorders.
• Indian Initiatives:
  
  • Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India:
    
    • It calls for the government to have its plan or policy on dementia which must be implemented in all states and funded and monitored by the health ministry.
  • National Health Mission:
    
    • It envisages achievement of universal access to equitable, affordable & quality health care services that are accountable and responsive to people's needs.

Source: IE