What you should know about dementia
IT IS only through a global effort that the stigma and misinformation surrounding dementia can be eliminated, says the Alzheimer’s Disease International. This month is World Alzheimer’s Month and the theme is #KnowDementia #KnowAlzeimers.
Every three seconds someone develops dementia, with more than 50 million people suffering from it.
“Dementia refers to a group of conditions presenting with symptoms such as loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life,” psychiatrist at Kenya’s health ministry Dr Mercy Karanja said.
Psychologist Alliyya Abdi added: “Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia are the most common types of dementia and are responsible for up to 90% of cases of dementia,”.
Karanja said Alzheimer’s accounted for 60 to 80% of cases and was caused by changes in the brain as a result of clumps of a protein called plaques
and tangles. Your risk for Alzheimer’s increases when a first-degree relative, such as a biological parent, has it.
Vascular dementia, on the other hand, resulted from reduced blood flow to the brain, reducing the ability to supply your brain with the right
amount of nutrition and oxygen it needs to perform thought processes effectively, Abdi said.
High cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and strokes are all risk factors for vascular dementia. |