Rate of Alzheimer’s disease is Going Down, Researchers Reveal

Amy Taylor October 03, 2016

There were just 209,000 cases of Alzheimer’s disease in Britain for year 2015, which is significantly lower than what was previously forecasted - 251,000. Rates also declined in other rich countries, such as the US, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.

How did it happen?

According to the researchers, improvements in people’s quality of life could be the reason. The new study found that over-65s in some western countries are now less likely to develop the debilitating disease than the generation before them. Rates of the disease have even fallen by 20 per cent in as many years - as just 209,000 new cases were reported in Britain in 2015.

Some experts point to the improvement in cardiovascular health brought by the public’s increasing awareness about the dangers of smoking, obesity and a lack of exercise. Improved medications for blood pressure and high cholesterol may have also played a role.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said dementia, which causes major mental impairment, affects 47.5 million people worldwide - with around 7.7 million new cases every year. Among dementia problems, Alzheimer’s is the most common, affecting 60-70 per cent of dementia cases.

Fight’s not yet over

While the decrease in Alzheimer’s rate is indeed a good news, this must not stop people from becoming fully aware of the disease. Alzheimer’s typically progresses from forgetfulness to major memory loss and needing constant care.

It normally starts with minor memory problems such as forgetting a family member’s birthday, recent conversations and events, places, and objects. As the disease progresses, the patient exhibits more severe symptoms, such confusion, disorientation, personality change, mood problems, and hallucinations.

There is no cure yet for Alzheimer’s but experts have figured out some preventive strategies, such as proper diet, exercise, and brain stimulation (which can be anything from accepting a challenging job, learning a new language, or simply filling out a crossword puzzle).

Source of this article:

How cases of Alzheimer’s are actually slowing down: Rich countries see dementia rates fall by up to a fifth

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