More than 100 million will develop Alzheimer's disease in the near future, unless new treatments are developed to prevent or delay the condition, researchers have warned. One in every 85 people worldwide will have Alzheimer's by 2050, predict scientists from Johns Hopkins University.
The fourfold increase in cases predicted would far outpace the rate of global population growth. Of the 106 million sufferers in 2050, almost 46 million will need expensive nursing care to survive.
"We face a looming global epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease as the world’s population ages," said Professor Ron Brookmeyer of John Hopkins University. “However, if we can make even modest advances in preventing Alzheimer’s disease or delay its progression, we could have a huge global public health impact.”
Professor Brookmeyer, professor in Biostatistics and chair of the Master of Public Health Program at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is the lead author of a study into future Alzheimer's rates.
Asian prosperity brings dementia plague
As Alzheimer's occurrence is strongly correlated to age, some nations in Asia will be especially hard hit. By 2050, almost 60 percent of the world's Alzheimer's patients will be in Asia. The number of cases in the region is expected to surge fivefold from 12.6 million last year to almost 63 million in 2050.
The impact will be felt in countries which have benefited most from Asia's decades-long economic boom. This has brought a rise in incomes and education levels that has triggered improvements in medical care and a decline in birth rate. The resulting increase in the proportion of older people naturally results in a greater Alzheimer's burden.
Symptoms of the condition start with mild memory loss and progress gradually to include changes in personality, loss of reasoning ability, delusions, and deterioration of physical control.
Funding for John Hopkins University's research was provided by Elan Pharmaceuticals and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, which both produce medicines used to treat Alzheimer's patients.
Further Reading:
Photo shows first recognized Alzheimer's patient, Auguste Deter, as documented by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in Frankfurt, Germany 1901-1906. More.
Asian prosperity brings dementia plague
Could it be they have also adopted our diet of sugar
...Another serious problem with sugar that is now coming to the forefront is the various levels of mental problems. Our brains are very sensitive and react to quick chemical changes within the body. As sugar is consumed, our cells are robbed of their B vitamin, which destroys them, and insulin production is inhibited. Low insulin production means a high sugar (glucose) level in the bloodstream, which can lead to a confused mental state or unsound mind, and has also been linked with juvenile criminal behavior.
and colas and more sugar?
increase in rate of senility in world populations
Although the discussion focuses on the causal relationship between vaccinations and risk for senility, I believe it is paramount to consider the role of additives to the modern diet and what connection they may have with increasing Alzheimer risk. A hundred years ago we did not have the vaccines nor the additives (in particular, the excito-toxins like the glutamates and aspartates) that are almost unavoidable in modern society. The question with vaccinations is complex due to the nature of the substances as well as those toxic additives contained in them (the mercury & aluminum), but surely everyone has the right to decline use of a substance, be it MSG or preservatives in vaccines. If so, then the question is why are the producers of vaccines or food additives so hesitant to provide clear information as to content and use of suspect substances? It all comes down to money; as in producer profit. And, unfortunately for us all, some of that money is used to subsidise studies that are, from the inception, for the purpose of keeping consumers in the dark about the risks involved with these neurotoxins. Legitimate scientific investigation and its lack of funding prolongs our risk until it is too late for a sizable group of us.