Key Findings of World Alzheimer Report 2014

Recently, Alzheimer’s Disease International published the World Alzheimer Report 2014: Dementia and Risk Lowering evaluation. We look into the key findings.

Alzheimer’s Disease International appoint a group of experts, lead by Prof. Martin Prince, to generate the report as a part of World Alzheimer’s Month.

The report makes the case that the danger of dementia in later on life can be decreased among the common population if high blood pressure and diabetes and are managed, and initiatives are made to decrease risk of cardiovascular disease and to inspire individuals to quit smoking.

With respect to the report, diabetes raises the risk of dementia by around 50%. By extension, the record also indicates that risk factors for diabetes and high blood pressure, like as obesity and absence of physical exercise, should be focused as part of Alzheimer’s prevention.

Regardless of cardiovascular health enhancing among the many high-income nations, the report understands that many low- and middle-income nations have growing rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The report focuses on the connection between smoking cessation and decreased risk of dementia. It quotes research of dementia occurrence among seniors that show while risk for dementia is identical between ex-smokers and individuals who have never smoked; those who keep on smoking are at much greater risk.

The effect of education on dementia threat is also evaluated in the report, exposing that individuals with better educational possibilities have a reduced risk of dementia in later on life. The writers’ state proof indicates that while education doesn’t impact the modifications in the brain that result in dementia, it does have an effect on intellectual performing.

Also essential, the authors say, is the require to protect brain health while in mid-life. Research show that when individuals enter old age with well-developed, healthful brains, they have a higher chance of leading more happy and more self-sufficient lives in old age, with a decreased chance of developing dementia.

Even though brain health is essential at all levels of life, it is specifically significant in mid-life, say the authors, as the modifications in the brain accountable for dementia can begin years prior to symptoms appear.

They add that the future of the worldwide dementia outbreak relies upon the success or failure of efforts to enhance public health. Combining programs to deal with the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide will be ideal, effective and cost effective, the report states.

Cognitive health and dementia occurrence ‘must be supervised’

Prof. Prince describes that the activities of NCD prevention in worldwide health policy are targeted on diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancers. On the other hand, “the measures – tobacco management, reduced dietary salt, enhanced physical work out, and better control of cardiovascular risk – must be helpful in decreasing the incidence of dementia too.”

“Therefore,” he says, “one thing that we require to do is to make sure that cognitive health and dementia occurrence are supervised, in inclusion to the other priority NCDs, to make sure that the program is effectively prioritized and maintained on track. Dementia is more expensive in societal terms than the other 4 NCDs put together.”

In addition, Prof. Prince states that while the international plan concentrates on younger individuals, in order to avoid early deaths, proof indicates that giving up smoking or managing diabetes in late-life also usefully decrease the occurrence of dementia.

“This could be a highly effective motivation for elderly people to modify their behavior,” says Prince, “since dementia is obviously now the most terrifying condition. Also, health systems require to concentrate more on participating to cardiovascular risk in older individuals, who seem be especially poorly provided by hypertension and diabetes recognition and control programs.”

However, latest research shows that public attention of the modifiable risk aspects of dementia is very minimal.

“Basically, understanding about dementia, full stop, is low,” Prof. Martin says that. “In the UK, even now only about 50 percent of those living with the problem have obtained a diagnosis. On the other hand, this is changing rapidly, and there is an increasing appetite for details on how personal risk may be decreased, shown in the growth of mainstream news media stories.”

“One of the difficulties, it seems to me, is that a confusing array of aspects have been implicated but with various degrees of proof to support the statements. Often single research has been over-hyped. The community is for that reason naturally confused. In this seasons World Alzheimer Report, we have attempted to cut through the thicket of proof, claim and counter claim, to recognize those areas where evidence is most powerful. We have come up with just 4 factors –

• Diabetes and Smoking in late life
• High blood pressure in mid life
• Early life education

Prof. Martin claims that from these four factors appear two main underlying mechanisms:

• A well-nourished and well-designed brain may create some “reserve potential” like that, even in the face of neurodegeneration, an aged person may be living normally with no signs of dementia.
• Path ways that raise risk for cardiovascular disease.