Warning that dementia has become a global health crisis that must be addressed adequately, the World Alzheimer Report 2015 released on Tuesday has said nearly 47 million people are living with the disease around the world of which 4.1 million are from India.
Painting a grim scenario, the report noted that the number of the people suffering from Alzheimer is projected to nearly double every 20 years, increasing to 74.7 million by 2030 and 131.5 million by 2050.
Researchers also found that there are more than 9.9 million new cases of dementia each year worldwide, implying one new case every 3.2 seconds, as per the report which showed that in 2015, East Asia is the world region with the most people living with dementia (9.8 million), followed by Western Europe (7.4 million).
With home to over 4.1 million people suffering from the disease India is positioned at the third number after China (9.5 million), and US (4.2 million). The other countries which are home to over a million people with dementia in 2015 are Japan (3.1 million), Brazil (1.6 million), Germany (1.6 million), Russia (1.3 million), Italy (1.2 million), Indonesia (1.2 million) and France (1.2 million).
The estimates are based on new research led by Professor Martin Prince from King's College london's Global Observatory for Ageing and Dementia Care.
The new findings take into account both the growing numbers of older people (population ageing), and new and better evidence on the number of people living with dementia, and costs incurred.
"We now believe that we underestimated the current and future scale of the epidemic by 12-13 per cent in the 2009 World Alzheimer Report, with costs growing more rapidly than the numbers of people affected," said Prince.
According to the report, the current annual societal and economic cost of dementia is USD 818 billion, and it is expected to become a trillion dollar disease in just three years' time.
"The rising global cost of dementia will pose serious challenges to health and social care systems all around the world," said Marc Wortmann, Executive Director of Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI).
"We must use the findings of this report to advocate for action in international forums to fight back against the stigma of dementia and encourage the growth of dementia-friendly communities and countries," said Glenn Rees, Chair of ADI.
Identify dementia early for better care ..
Symptoms: Trouble completing tasks that were once easy, Difficulty solving problems, Changes in mood or personality; withdrawing from friends and family, problems with communication, either written or spoken.
Treatment : While there are currently no treatments available to slow or stop the brain damage caused by Alzheimer's disease, several medications can temporarily help improve the symptoms of dementia for some people. These medications work by increasing neurotransmitters in the brain.