The majority of us are somewhat aware of this terrible ailment, which is essentially a conglomeration of numerous distinct ailments. Dementia progressively deteriorates cognitive, memory, and behavioural issues by causing damage to multiple brain regions. According to the charity Race Against Dementia, one in three of us will eventually pass away from dementia.
“We are still waiting for a definitive treatment or a cure but today in 2023, there’s so much that can be done,” says James Rowe, professor of cognitive neurology at the University of Cambridge.
“A person’s individual risk of developing dementia at any given age is much less than it was,” Rowe says. “If you’re 70 for example, your chances of having dementia are about 25 per cent less than it was 25 years ago. So we’ve done a lot of risk reduction already.”
Here are a few myths when it comes around Dementia:
Myth 1: Dementia and Alzheimer’s are the same thing
Although Alzheimer's is the most prevalent type of dementia, there are others as well. There are, in reality, over 200 different varieties of dementia, each with its unique symptom profile and underlying pathology. These types of dementia include vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and mixed dementia. Researchers are constantly gaining more insight into the mechanisms underlying the various types of dementia, which may eventually lead to the development of novel therapies.
Myth 2: Dementia only happens when you’re old
There are various types of dementia that might develop at an unforeseen early age. According to the findings, individuals at the age of 40 years may exhibit the signs of frontotemporal dementia, but those in their twenties and thirties may be diagnosed with young-onset dementia under certain circumstances.
NHS estimates that there are 40,000 people below the age of 65 in the UK who are living with dementia. “While dementia really explodes in prevalence as you come into much later life, there are many people in their twenties through to their fifties who have dementia,” says Rowe.
Myth 3: Tackling dementia is too expensive
The Alzheimer's Society estimates that dementia costs the UK £34.7 billion annually, a sum that is expected to almost treble to over £94 billion by 2040. According to Rowe, we can do a lot more to help those with dementia receive better care by managing their symptoms and extending their lives, as well as by allocating more resources to the ongoing search for a cure.
