On weekdays, the search notice on the wechat circle of friends, if you pay attention to it, more is to look for the elderly, the elderly continue to stray, and the reason for chasing it is mostly caused by "Alzheimer's disease". Data show that there are about 10 million people with Alzheimer's disease in China, with an average of 300,000 new cases every year. There are tens of millions of families with dementia elderly people in the country, and every dementia elderly person is an overwhelmed family after illness. Dementia has a huge impact on individuals, families and economies, costing the world hundreds of millions of dollars each year. There are no specific treatments that can stop or reverse the progression of AD, but is there nothing we can do about the disease?

At least we can prevent it!

The latest "Invited Major Report: Prevention, Intervention and Care for Dementia" report published in the Lancet in 2020 presents the best evidence for dementia prevention, finding that controlling 12 risk factors throughout the life course is expected to delay or prevent 40% of dementia.

The risk factors and prevention and control measures of dementia were summarized as follows:

Risk factors for dementia:

1. Less education in youth;

2. Hearing loss in middle age;

3. Traumatic brain injury

4. hypertension

5. Alcohol intake greater than 21 units per week

6. obesity

7. Smoking in later life

8. Late-life depression

9. Social isolation

10. Lack of physical exercise

11. Air pollution

12. diabetes

Recommended prevention and control measures for dementia include:

1. Disease management: at the age of 40, systolic blood pressure should be maintained at ≤130mmHg;

Active treatment of diabetes, postural hypotension, atrial fibrillation;

Avoid hyperhomocysteinemia;

Avoid depression and insomnia.

2. Lifestyle: stop smoking;

Prevent alcohol abuse and limit alcohol intake to 21 units per week (2 units of alcohol equals 36 ml of pure alcohol; It's roughly equivalent to 1 double high white wine, 2 double low white wine, 4 double sake, 6 double red wine, or 2 tins of beer.)

  Active mental, physical, and social activities: reading, chess, cognitive training

  Weight management: BMI: 18.5-25kg/m2, appropriate weight gain over 65 years old

  Healthy sleep: daytime energy and appropriate night sleep duration (4-10h)

3. Other: Primary and secondary education for all children

Love your ears and use hearing AIDS for the hearing impaired

      Reduce exposure to air pollution and second-hand smoke

      Prevent head injury

Finally, we can regularly evaluate memory, mood, etc., and understand their brain function to minimize dementia and prevent it from happening.

 

 

Main references:

[1]https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/dementia2017

[2]https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/early/2020/06/01/jnnp-2019-321913

For the Branch of Psychiatry and Mental Health

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