This Tuesday, September 21, 2021, World Alzheimer’s Day is celebrated. The origin of this celebration dates back to 1994, when the organization “Alzheimer’s Disease International” decided to dedicate this day to making Alzheimer’s disease visible and raising awareness in society about the impact it has on both patients and their families.
Since then, numerous cultural and sporting events have been held every year to focus on Alzheimer’s. In Spain, it is the “Spanish Alzheimer’s Confederation” that is in charge of developing the nationwide campaign for World Alzheimer’s Day.
What is Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s is an incurable mental illness. As it progresses, nerve cells in the brain degenerate and brain mass decreases . For this reason, patients show progressive cognitive decline.
Despite the numerous studies that have been carried out, the cause of Alzheimer’s remains unknown , although different risk factors are known. To this we must add that today there is no treatment that can modify the course of the disease.
Once the first symptoms begin, patients degenerate , becoming more and more dependent.
The phases of cognitive decline are three:
- Mild: in the first stage the symptoms are very mild, and many times they go completely unnoticed. Family members of Alzheimer’s patients believe that absentmindedness is “age-related” and generally realize that something is wrong when sudden mood swings appear.
- Moderate: very slight changes in the ability to think and memory difficulties begin to appear, although they are not noticeable enough to affect relationships or the day-to-day life of patients.
- Severe: Alzheimer’s patients show extensive impairment of all intellectual faculties. Symptoms worsen, to the point of not recognizing family members.
How many people suffer from Alzheimer’s in the world?
According to data from the World Health Organization, Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia worldwide . This disease affects more than 55 million people globally, and the number of patients could increase exponentially in the coming decades, reaching 139 million affected in 2050 if no solution is found.
In Spain, it is estimated that there are more than 900,000 people with some type of dementia . 10% of people over 65 and 35% of people over 85 suffer from it.
