[헤럴드경제=김태열 건강의학 선임기자] In 2018, Korea was classified as an aged society in which the population aged 65 and over accounted for more than 14% of the total population, and in 2025, it will enter a super-aged society in which the population aged 65 years and older exceeds 20%. This means that 1 in 5 South Koreans will be over 65.
As such, as the aging society progresses, geriatric diseases are also continuously increasing. In particular, the problem of a rapidly increasing dementia population is no longer a problem for individuals and families, but a social problem. According to the statistics of the Central Dementia Center last year, it is estimated that there were 863,542 dementia patients among the Korean population over the age of 60. Among them, the prevalence of dementia among the population aged 65 and over is 10.33%, and 1 in 10 people suffer from dementia. This number is increasing rapidly every year, and the number of dementia patients is expected to exceed 1 million by 2024.
Dementia is caused by various causes, and Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia account for regarding 80-90% of all dementias. Among them, Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disease that accounts for the largest proportion of the causes of dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease progressively deteriorates cognitive functions, including memory, and in severe cases may be accompanied by psycho-behavioral symptoms such as personality changes, depression, delusions, hallucinations, increased aggression, and sleep disturbance. Therefollowing, there is a marked decline in cognitive functions, including memory, and in general, psycho-behavioral symptoms tend to worsen.
As such, dementia is a disease that suffers not only for oneself but also for family members, and also causes great social problems. Therefore, it is necessary to make an effort to diagnose dementia at an early stage. This is because, even following being diagnosed with dementia, long-term measures can be established and early treatment can extend cognitive function and living ability, which can greatly help improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
Kim Da-eun, head of the Department of Neurology at Shinchon Yonsei Hospital, said, “Relatedly, with regard to the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s dementia, an early diagnosis of dementia has been made possible through the oligomerized amyloid beta test. It is a test that selectively separates and measures amyloid beta, which has excellent accessibility and convenience, and can predict the risk of Alzheimer’s dementia in advance by dividing it into low-risk, borderline, and high-risk according to the level of the level.” He added, “If Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed early, preventive treatment is possible through regular exercise, healthy eating, social activities and hobbies, and lifestyle management such as smoking cessation and alcohol consumption.”
