{"id":40921,"date":"2019-09-22T11:23:04","date_gmt":"2019-09-22T11:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=40921"},"modified":"2019-09-22T11:23:04","modified_gmt":"2019-09-22T11:23:04","slug":"why-saudi-arabia-and-middle-east-must-plan-for-alzheimers-care-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=40921","title":{"rendered":"Why Saudi Arabia and Middle East must plan for Alzheimer’s care challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\nABU DHABI: Incurable and increasingly prevalent, dementia is a disease that today affects about 50 million people worldwide. Millions more are diagnosed each year with the most common neurodegenerative form: Alzheimer\u2019s disease. The risks generally increase with age, but many people develop symptoms of dementia before they reach the age of 65.
Inheritable genetic conditions can lead to familial or early-onset Alzheimer\u2019s, which can afflict people as young as 30.
Despite growing awareness of the global impact of dementia, experts say lingering misconceptions around the disease persist in the Middle East, often leading to late diagnosis, stigma and social isolation.
World Alzheimer\u2019s Month, an international campaign to raise awareness and challenge the stigma that surrounds dementia, is marked every September.
The 21st of the month is recognized as the official day to improve public awareness and attitudes regarding the disease.
Experts say there is an immediate need to challenge misconceptions and help some of the most vulnerable people in Middle Eastern communities.
\u201cIn my experience, awareness about Alzheimer\u2019s is quite low in the region, so people don\u2019t know too much about this disease,\u201d Dr. Karoly Zoltan Vadasdi, a neurology specialist at Dubai\u2019s Canadian Specialist Hospital, told Arab News.
\u201cThere\u2019s an immediate need to take steps or some measures to address this lack of awareness because Alzheimer\u2019s is the most common form of dementia in elderly patients, especially those above the 60-65 age group.\u201d
There is no known cure for Alzheimer\u2019s, which can start developing decades before obvious symptoms emerge. The disease, which is notoriously hard to slow down, continues to baffle medical scientists despite years of extensive research.
Part of the problem with developing a cure is that the causes of Alzheimer\u2019s are still not fully understood. The disease is also challenging to combat because it is not caused by an invading pathogen, but arises from an individual\u2019s own biology.<\/p>\n

\n

\nDEMENTIA FACTS<\/span><\/strong>
\n<\/h4>\n
\n
\n

\n\u25cf Although dementia mainly affects older people, it is not a normal part of ageing.<\/p>\n

\n\u25cf Early symptoms include memory problems, increasing confusion, reduced concentration and personality changes.<\/p>\n

\n\u25cf Middle-stage symptoms include forgetfulness about recent events and people\u2019s names, becoming lost at home, increasing difficulty with communication, and needing help with personal care.<\/p>\n

\n\u25cf Late-stage symptoms include memory disturbances becoming serious, behavioral changes, loss of awareness of time and place, and difficulty walking and recognizing loved ones.<\/p>\n

\n\u25cf Alzheimer\u2019s is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60\u201370 percent of cases.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\nHowever, for those with early-stage Alzheimer\u2019s, which doctors can spot through brain scans and lumbar punctures, the picture is not entirely bleak. Some medications can reduce memory loss, treat changing cognitive symptoms and aid concentration. Nevertheless, experts say it is essential to further educate the public about the early stages of dementia.
According to 2019 statistics made available by the Saudi Health Ministry, there are 130,000 cases of Alzheimer\u2019s in the Kingdom. Despite the high number, public knowledge about the condition remains limited.
For a 2018 report entitled \u201cPerception and attitude of the general population towards Alzheimer\u2019s disease in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,\u201d author Hussein Algahtani and his research team interviewed 1,698 residents in shopping malls and public places.
They found that while 89 percent of participants had heard of Alzheimer\u2019s, 44.9 percent believed that it is a normal part of ageing.
About a third of those asked believed that Alzheimer\u2019s is treatable with medication, while 24.6 percent thought there is no treatment, and about 30 percent believed Saudi society stigmatizes people with the disease.
\u201cThere are many conflicting beliefs about Alzheimer\u2019s disease in the general population,\u201d said Algahtani, adding that conducting a study on \u201cpublic awareness, attitude and knowledge\u201d of it \u201cis useful in decreasing discrimination and stigmatization.\u201d
\u201cThe results of the study suggest that the perception of the general public of Alzheimer\u2019s disease is lagging behind,\u201d he said. \u201cMany wrong beliefs were identified in the general public regarding the causes and management,\u201d he added. \u201cThe findings of our study suggest that more information about Alzheimer\u2019s disease would be valuable and beneficial for everyone,\u201d said Algahtani.
\u201cAwareness campaigns and public education are needed to increase the knowledge of the public regarding aspects of the disease, including prevention, causes and management,\u201d
he added. \u201cDissemination of information about Alzheimer\u2019s disease should be of high priority. Increased awareness will lead to earlier detection of Alzheimer\u2019s disease and other dementia cases, and appropriate care and management of those persons.\u201d
The conclusions of Algahtani\u2019s report do not surprise Vadasdi, who said: \u201cThe disease is underdiagnosed in the Middle East, which stems from a misconception about Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia.\u201d
Vadasdi added: \u201cMost people incorrectly associate dementia with senility, and believe that declining mental health is a normal part of ageing.\u201d
He said: \u201cIt\u2019s true that when people get older they get a bit forgetful and become a little slower in thinking, but dementia is never caused by ageing itself.
\u201cIt\u2019s important to emphasize that Alzheimer\u2019s is a neurodegenerative disease, which means there\u2019s a gradual loss of nerve cells in certain parts of the brain.\u201d
Vadasdi said: \u201cAnother misconception is that Alzheimer\u2019s or dementia is inherited. People are afraid that if one of their parents has it, they\u2019ll inherit the disease.\u201d
What is undeniable, though, is that full-blown Alzheimer\u2019s is devastating for the patient and has a knock-on effect on family members and friends. \u201cThose who suffer from dementia need continuous, sometimes even 24-hour supervision, depending on the severity of the disease and the loss of cognitive abilities,\u201d said Vadasdi.
\u201cIt\u2019s a huge burden for family members, both emotionally and financially. Patients can also suffer from depression or become anxious, agitated or paranoid because of the loss of cognitive functions, including memory, orientation, perception. Family members need a lot of patience when looking after the patient.\u201d
It is believed that more than 2.3 million people in the Middle East and North Africa live with dementia, although the figure is hard to verify.
Some countries have no organization to address the challenge posed by dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s.
Even as he points to an \u201curgent need to increase awareness of Alzheimer\u2019s in society,\u201d Dr. Hania Sobierajska, a specialist in internal medicine at the UAE\u2019s Bareen International Hospital, praises local health authorities for conducting campaigns and workshops to reduce barriers to diagnosing the disease.
The Saudi Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Association (SADA), one of 90 associations that make up Alzheimer\u2019s Disease International (ADI), provides support and assistance to patients and their families. To mark World Alzheimer\u2019s Day, the Saudi Health Ministry hosts awareness drives across the Kingdom.
Via SADA, the ministry pays for live-in carers and weekly visits by doctors, nurses, psychologists and therapists, in addition to transport costs and medication.
SADA holds workshops, online training courses for carers, and year-round awareness campaigns on TV, radio and social media.
\u201cSix years ago we hadn\u2019t even heard about the word Alzheimer\u2019s, but lately it has become known through word of mouth, albeit merely as a disease about forgetfulness,\u201d said SADA\u2019s Sara Al-Rasheed. Sobierajska said \u201cthe number of communities supporting those with Alzheimer\u2019s\u201d across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) bloc is \u201cinsufficient.\u201d
While researchers and scientists continue to hunt for a cure, in a region where over-65s make up only a tiny percentage of the population, cases of dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s are likely to surge as the population ages. Experts say Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC must plan for a health burden that will only grow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ABU DHABI: Incurable and increasingly prevalent, dementia is a disease that today affects about 50 million people worldwide. Millions more are diagnosed each year with the most common neurodegenerative form: Alzheimer\u2019s disease. The risks generally increase with age, but many people develop symptoms of dementia before they reach the age of 65.Inheritable genetic conditions can…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":40922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle_east_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}