Process of dementia can start at 40 yrs
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CHENNAI: The process of death of brain cells, which eventually leads to dementia in old age, could start setting in by the age of 40, according to Dr Sube Banerjee, professor of mental health and ageing at King's College London. "In the early stages of dementia, a person would appear normal and would only have little memory problem. Early detection is the key to fighting dementia," he said, delivering the eighth MV Arunachalam endowment oration in the city on Thursday.

Dr Banerjee said the world was unprepared to deal with dementia, which would affect 65.7 million people by 2030, two-thirds of whom would be from low- and middle-income countries. "The worldwide costs for treating various forms of dementia have also increased. Today, if dementia were a country, it would be the world's 18th largest economy with 600 billion dollars and if it were a company, it would be the world's largest," he said.

Talking two days after World Alzheimer's Day, Banerjee said according to the World Alzheimer's Report of 2009, globally 35.6 million people live with dementia and three million of them are in India. "Because of advanced health care, the average age of the masses is increasing the world over and it has become very important to deal with long-term diseases like dementia," he said. Doing away with the stigma associated with dementia, early diagnosis and intervention and a good support system can help people deal with dementia. It is a misconception that nothing can be done once dementia sets in, he said, reiterating the importance of raising awareness about the disease at a public and professional level.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/