Among the many diseases of the human body, dementia is increasing alarmingly. A person suffering from this brain disease becomes amnesiac or forgets anything. A study conducted in Bangladesh found that single people are more likely to suffer from dementia than married people.
The risk of dementia generally increases after age 60, but the risk is slightly lower among married people in Bangladesh. Photo: Collected
The risk of dementia generally increases after age 60, but the risk is slightly lower among married people in Bangladesh. Photo: Collected
Before 2019 there was no national level research on dementia in Bangladesh. However, in 2019, a joint research program was conducted by the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital and the International Udramaya Research Center Bangladesh (ICDDRB). The research has already been accepted for publication in the British journal ‘The Lancet’.
Research has been carried out among more than two thousand patients in different parts of Bangladesh in urban and rural areas.
The prevalence of dementia is higher among those living alone or without a partner. Among married people, the risk increased to 12.4 percent among unmarried people, while the risk was 4.9 percent. Whereas unmarried women (13.5 percent) have a higher risk of dementia than unmarried men (6.5 percent).
Apart from this, studies have shown that the rate of dementia is higher among uneducated people than educated people. Those who have never attended school have a 10 percent incidence rate. But among those who have studied at least up to class IV, this rate is 4.5 percent. And among those with primary school education or more, the dementia rate is just 2.1 percent.
In 2020, the number of dementia patients in Bangladesh was over 11 lakh. By 2041, this number may exceed 24 lakh. Dementia is more common in people over the age of 60. The rate of this disease is 8.1 percent among people over sixty in Bangladesh. Dementia costs more than 3.5 billion rupees in Bangladesh annually. Where the cost per patient is about 80 thousand rupees. And most of these costs are for patient care.
The prevalence of dementia is higher in the northern districts of Bangladesh. The incidence rate of this disease in Rajshahi division is 14.9 percent. In Rangpur it is 11.9 percent. 7.8 percent in Khulna, 7.3 percent in Barisal, 6.7 percent in Chittagong, 4.5 percent in Sylhet and least 2.9 percent in Dhaka division.
Currently, the number of dementia patients in the world is 55 million. In middle and low income countries this rate is over 60 percent. It is estimated that in 2030, the number of dementia patients worldwide will be more than 80 million and in 2050 that number will exceed 150 million. In 1990, more than 1 million people died of dementia worldwide. And in 2016, that number increased to 24 lakh.
National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital Neurology Department President Prof. Dr. Maliha Hakim says, ‘Dementia is generally of two types. One is curable and the other is incurable. If the disease is diagnosed at an early stage, it is possible to keep patients well through treatment. However, care is more important than medicine for people suffering from this disease. That requires the cooperation of society and family. Apart from this, it is possible to reduce this disease if we can build public awareness and get advice from experts at the right time.
