Twenty-seventh world Alzheimer's day, "not to forget those who forget", as the motto of theAima, Italian Alzheimer's Disease Association. Today, 21 September 2020, the Coronavirus emergency has changed the usual awareness programs for the disease but has not canceled this date. On the contrary. If the constraints imposed by the pandemic have further weighed on all situations of fragility, including Alzheimer's, it is precisely the time to emphasize the need for help by the sick and those who care for them.
The many AIMA associations present in the area are however working in this direction. Almost without the usual public initiatives that characterized this day. But confirming that the will and the services for the sick and families, however, they are there and try to meet the needs of those in need.
Italy in eighth place for the number of people affected by Alzheimer's
It was 1994 when theWorld Health Organization and Alzheimer's Disease International decided to dedicate this day to Alzheimer's, a progressively disabling degenerative disease. It takes its name from the German neuropsychiatrist Alois Alzheimer who, in 1906, diagnosed it first in a 51-year-old woman. Although more than a century has passed, a solution to this disease has not yet been found. The numbers that draw the map, on a global level, are important. According to data from Airalzh, the Italian Association for Alzheimer's Research Onlus, there are an estimated 46 million people affected by dementia in the world. Of these, 50-60 percent are affected by Alzheimer's disease. In Italy, which ranks eighth among the countries with the highest number of affected people, an estimated one and a half million sufferers. Over six hundred thousand of these are affected by Alzheimer's.
The data is not very comforting if we look at the future projections. The Airalzh also indicates that, due to the aging of the population, a tripling of cases is expected over the next thirty years. By 2050, one in 85 people worldwide could be affected, involving 130 million individuals. The progression of the disease differs from person to person. However, the average life expectancy after diagnosis is estimated to range from three to nine years. Important numbers and proportions that have led the World Health Organization to define it "A public health priority".
For the WHO a public health priority
On this 30th World Alzheimer's Day it should be remembered that the disease is the most common cause of dementia. It affects brain cells, especially those that affect memory and other cognitive functions. The result is an alteration of the patient's personality and therefore also of his daily life. It's not just about older people. There are also cases in the age group between 60 and 65 years but it is more frequent with increasing age. According to the AIMA, in people over the age of 7 the overall frequency (prevalence) is about 30%, in the eighty-year-olds about XNUMX%. This characteristic, combined with the constant increase in the number of elderly people typical of our age, explains the reason for the great expansion of the disease.
Italy at the forefront of research
At what point is the experimentation? A solution has not yet been found but the research continues, in Italy and in the world. The main way remains that of early diagnosis, indeed very early. Along with lifestyles: diet, physical activity, treatment of possible cardiovascular risks, a daily life made up of social relationships and not loneliness, often frequent in older people. It was found that adopting a healthy lifestyle and targeted action to combat loneliness could reduce the risk of dementia in the population by a third..
On the occasion of this XNUMXth World Alzheimer's Day, Coop it will support research with the “Forget about yourself” initiative. Many plants of Erica Calluna will be on sale, until 30 September, in all large structures, in supermarkets and mini markets. One euro will be donated to research for each plant sold.
