It’s “insane”. The adjective is overused, between exaltation (in the sense of “formidable”, “extraordinary”), soft madness (“extravagant”, “unreasonable”) and cerebral degeneration (“alienated”, “crazy”). The word “dementia” is scary. A loved one has “no longer all his head”, we prefer to say modestly, instead of naming the disease: dementia.
Sometimes, with less modesty, the diagnosis is dropped: “She has Alzheimer’s disease“. This is only one form among others of dementia, but it is, it is true, the most common form. This disease is believed to be the cause of 60 to 70% of cases.
In general, dementia is characterized as a syndrome where cognitive function (the ability to perform thought operations) is impaired. It can affect all aspects of daily life, such as memory, reasoning, orientation… language, and it is sometimes accompanied by disorders of emotional control or social behavior.
She runs, she runs, madness
A public health priority for the World Health Organization, dementia affects 50 million people worldwide and each year there are nearly 10 million new cases. By 2030, the WHO estimates that the total number of people with dementia will reach 82 million; 152, even, by 2050. This increase is largely due to the growth in the number of cases in low- and middle-income countries.
An increasingly early disease
It is not just an inevitable consequence of aging, although age is the greatest known risk factor. The disease does not only affect the elderly. More and more people are developing so-called “early” dementia, that is to say the first symptoms before the age of 65. Today they are 9%.
200,000 Belgians
Every four seconds, someone in the world is diagnosed with dementia. In Belgium, the number of people with dementia has exceeded 200,000 cases since 2020. But beyond the patients, the disease impacts many more people: family and loved ones are called upon to take care of the sick, who live in 70% of cases at home.
More women than men
Older women currently have a 50% greater risk than men of developing dementia, and in particular Alzheimer’s disease. This inequality is explained by certain increased risk factors in women after menopause, such as cardiovascular disease (including stroke). Recognition of symptoms of cardiovascular accidents and their management are also less good in women.
Other factors are put forward, such as greater longevity in women, for a disease whose risk increases with age. But certain genetic factors are also mentioned.
In addition, researchers from Inserm and the University of Paris, in collaboration with theUniversity College Londonshowed in a publication in The Lancet Public Health that thanks to greater access to higher education, certain cognitive abilities have improved in women over recent generations. Since the current generation of very old people was born in the 1920s and 1940s, at a time when few women had access to higher education, the authors believe that catching up with these inequalities could have an impact on gender inequalities in the face of risk. of dementia.
A coffee ?
For relatives, for health professionals, for all those who want to discuss the subject, the Alzheimer League has been organizing Alzheimer Cafés since 2003. Today there are 70 in Brussels and Wallonia. Information can be obtained ici.
On September 21, on the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Disease Day, a new municipality will join the 47 other Belgian localities of the “Ville Amie Démence” network, namely those which have signed a Charter guaranteeing a quality of life to patients: the city of Brussels will highlight the initiatives it has taken to promote the inclusion of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease.