Dementia should be integrated into public health programmes in the same way as other major non communicable diseases (NCDs), according to new research.
The World Alzheimer Report 2014 ‘Dementia and Risk Reduction: An analysis of protective and modifiable factors’, reveals that tackling other health issue can dramatically reduce the risk of dementia, even in late-life.
The report reveals that diabetes increases the risk of dementia by 50%, while encouraging smoking cessation and reducing cardiovascular risk also has the potential to reduce the risk of dementia.
The study calls for NCD programmes to be more inclusive of older people, saying combining efforts to tackle the increasing global burden of NCDs will be strategically important, efficient and cost effective.
Marc Wortmann, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Disease International, said: ‘From a public health perspective, it is important to note that most of the risk factors for dementia overlap with those for the other major non communicable diseases (NCDs). In high income countries, there is an increased focus on healthier lifestyles, but this is not always the case with lower and middle income countries.
‘By 2050, we estimate that 71% of people living with dementia will live in these regions, so implementing effective public health campaigns may help to reduce the global risk.’