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Rising burden of dementia in India

dementia

Nine million people in the country lived with the dementia disease from 2017 to 2020

With India surpassing China as the world’s most populous country this year, the country faces an alarming potential increase in the number of people with dementia, more so with the country’s population rapidly aging, warns a study on dementia in the country published by the Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

The share of people aged 60 years or older is projected to increase to nearly 20 percent of the total Indian population by 2050 (319 million), accounting for 15.4 percent of people of the same age worldwide.

While this demographic trend reflects rising longevity, as life expectancy in India has steadily increased from 42.9 years in 1960 to 70.4 years in 2020, age is in itself the strongest and best-known risk factor for dementia.  

In India, an estimated 7.4 percent of people aged 60 years and older lived with dementia (8.8 million individuals) between 2017 and 2020. Dementia prevalence was higher among females than males and higher in rural than urban areas.

“If prevalence stays the same, the number of people with dementia is projected to reach 16.9 million in 2036 due to the growth in the older Indian population,” says the research. 

In 2010, the Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India estimated that 3.7 million Indians had dementia and projected that this number would double by 2030. 

However, the latest study calls for the need to scale up policies to prevent and manage dementia in the country.

“We also found significant heterogeneity across states,” the study points out. “This means that the burden of dementia cases is unevenly distributed across states and requires different levels of local planning and support.”

Nationwide survey

While all previous studies on dementia were based on samples from a few geographically contiguous communities, collectively covering only 6 of 36 states and union territories of India, the current nationwide study gives a broader picture.

In the previous studies, a substantial heterogeneity in dementia prevalence rates was noted across six states, but the extent of prevalence of dementia across all states in the country was unclear.

The long-term goal of the current study is to establish a nationally representative, community-based group of individuals aged 60 and older in India to provide valid estimates of dementia prevalence and incidence in the country. 

Delhi lowest, J&K highest

The study says cross-state variation in dementia prevalence is considerable, with lowest prevalence in Delhi at 4.5 percent  and the highest in Jammu and Kashmir at 11 percent.

Rural women more prone to dementia

The study says, “prevalence of dementia among women is almost double that among men.” 

“It is also much higher in rural areas than in urban areas,” the study explains. “Finally, dementia is considerably more prevalent among individuals with lower education.” 

Also Read: Alzheimer’s is not just about memory loss 

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