A Recent Research On Dementia

One of the exciting things I did last year as part of my professional growth and progression was to partake in a Dementia research project at the Neurology unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.  

The project led by my friend Michael Quansah and supervised by Professor Adjei of University of Ghana Medical School and Prof. Tayebi of Western Sydney University Medical School had thus far really exposed me to the prevalence of Dementia across the world. 

I also got to learn about how Dementia is becoming one of the leading causes of death in most aged people around the world and the need to create awareness about it.

Dementia is a syndrome, usually chronic or progressive in nature and is often characterised by decline in cognitive abilities. 

It therefore affects cognitive functions such as thinking, memory, comprehension and judgement. 

It is an impairment that is often accompanied by a decline in emotional control, motivation or social behaviour. 

Globally, it is reported that 35.6 million people have Dementia and about 8 million new people get Dementia every year.

The prevalence of Dementia in Africa in adults older than 50 years is estimated to be about 2.4% which translates to 2.76 million people (George-Carey et al., 2012). 

Also, it has been estimated that about 7.62 million people in sub-Saharan Africa will be living with Dementia by 2050 (Guerchet et al., 2017). 

This definitely is a cause for concern and therefore the need to create awareness on Dementia.

The main risk factor is advancing in age. One's genetic makeup can also predispose him/her to Dementia.  

Some other risk factors include head injury, cardiovascular problems, excessive alcohol intake, and social isolation. 

To prevent Dementia, some measures one can take as they age include: 

1. Eating healthy diet: fruits and vegetables and whole grains, lean meat etc. 

2. Staying mentally active by reading, playing games like scrabble, chess, and learning new skills etc. 

3. Staying physically active to prevent becoming overweight, hypertensive, diabetic etc. 

4. Sleeping well: Get enough sleep and become well rested each day. 

5. Staying safe and preventing falls that might lead to head injuries. Use your seat belts and helmets when necessary.