Alzheimer is the disease most commonly seen in elderly people and is a kind of Dementia. During this disease patients starts to forget things. Alzheimer is incurable and it gets worsen by age. The disease is caused by the degeneration of brain cells and nerves and impacts functioning of the brain.
3.7 million people are suffering from Alzheimer in India and the population will double by 2030, according to Dementia India Report 2010.
"There are around 18-19 million Dementia patients in the world and around a quarter of them are in India. There is an acute lack of facilities to detect or treat patients with Alzheimer's, so patients get ignored. In the west, they are much better off," says Sanjay Kumar Saxena of the neurology department at Fortis Hospital in Delhi.
"The biggest problem with Alzheimer's disease is that it is highly underreported," Saxena adds.
Elderly Indians are increasingly falling prey to it and today India has almost a fourth of the world's Alzheimer's patients.
Najeeb Rehman, Consultant Nuerology in Asian Institute of Medical Sciences says, "In India, 1 in 20 people over 60 years of age and 5 in over 80 years of age are suffering from AD (Alzheimer's Disease). With the population of elderly people in our country increasing, prevalence of AD is also going to increase".
"Men and women are both equally at risk, but in developed countries more women are suffering from AD. It is a reflection of higher longevity of life among women than men," he adds.
N.K. Pandey, CMD of Asian Institute of Medical Sciences says, "Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. There is no cure for AD and no treatment to reverse or halt its progression. Available treatment offers small symptomatic benefits, but it is palliative in nature. Other non-medical options include care giving. There are many drug trials that are on but we will have to wait".
(with inputs from IANS)
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