The first ever large-scale systematic analysis of the epidemiology of dementia in China suggests that previous studies have underestimated the burden of dementia in China. According to the new study, the number of people in China with dementia has more than doubled over the past 20 years – up from 3.68 million people in 1990 to 9.19 million in 2010.
The authors of the study warn that rates of dementia are increasing faster than previously thought and dealing with the problem will soon cost health services more than tackling heart disease and cancer combined. They also suggest that developing countries should learn lessons from this rapid increase in dementia cases.
Another article in the same issue of the Lancet, based on findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010, highlights a rapid rise of non-communicable diseases in general, driven by urbanisation, rising incomes and an ageing population.
This rapid growth in the number of people living with non-communicable diseases, such as dementia, pose major challenges for China’s health system, and will inevitable lead to an increase in demand for palliative care services.
Lead author Kit Yee Chan, from the University of Edinburgh, said: “Of the many non-communicable diseases that need attention worldwide, dementia is predicted to have the greatest economic and social effect. The number of dementia and Alzheimer’s cases in China might pose the single largest challenge to health and social care systems in terms of finding appropriate and affordable responses.”
Commenting on the study, George McNamara, from Alzheimer’s Society in the UK, said: “The scale of the challenge of dementia is something that many countries across the world are beginning to realise. As our populations increase in size and the average age continues to rise, this challenge is only going to grow in the future. While it is important for individual countries to take action, it is also important that they work together to share expertise and increase understanding.”
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