Eighteen-year-olds already have brain function decline
Scientists have long been saying that dementia is getting younger — memory impairment and other unpleasant symptoms of the disease are increasingly beginning to manifest themselves already in middle age. However, testing of cognitive status, conducted in several Russian regions among three thousand Russians over 18 years old, showed that in the age group from 18 to 34 years old, 6% of people have impaired mental abilities. But according to a recent VTsIOM survey, many Russians have a very vague idea about dementia, and most are sure that it definitely does not threaten them.
On the eve of World Health Day, which is celebrated on April 7, experts presented the results of a new survey by VTsIOM among 1,600 respondents from different regions of the Russian Federation on the awareness of compatriots about risk factors and manifestations of dementia. The awareness of Russians about the disease, which, according to WHO, today affects more than 55 million people in the world, and by 2050 there will be 139 million of them, doctors call extremely low. Mostly those who have already encountered such patients in their immediate environment know about it.
So, who is more, who is less, but in general, only 68% of Russians are informed about dementia. At the same time, 24% of respondents heard this word for the first time from interviewers, and 8% heard it, but do not know what it means. Men, young people under 24, are less aware of this term. In general, as VTsIOM representative Stepan Lvov notes, the portrait of the most uninitiated is as follows: a man under the age of 24, with an incomplete secondary education, a village resident and an active TV viewer. The best immersed in the problem is a woman over 45 years old, with a higher education, a resident of one of the capitals, an Internet user.
Of those in the know, 42% learned from personal practice and 30% from the Internet. 68% consider the main symptoms of dementia to be memory impairment or loss, cognitive impairment; 17% — disorientation in space and time, 13% — inappropriate behavior and aggression. At the same time, 54% of respondents are not afraid to get sick, 29% firmly believe that the disease can be prevented, 32% that it can be delayed, and 21% do not believe in either. The respondents consider memory training (25%), reading (20%) and healthy lifestyle (11%) to be the most important in prevention.
The chief geriatrician of Moscow, Nadezhda Runikhina, is upset by the results of this survey and calls the resulting percentage of those informed about the disease «very low»: «The lack of knowledge among the population is alarming. After all, this is an adult population, and we are talking about the basic indicators of our health. According to the expert, dementia & nbsp; This is unhealthy aging. The disease is a consequence of many diseases (vascular, atherosclerosis, hypertension, stroke, diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative pathologies). “Just memory loss is not dementia. Dementia is a complex of cognitive impairments that lead to impaired brain function, and a person loses the ability to be autonomous,” continues Nadezhda Runikhina.
In addition, risk factors for the development of dementia are stress and anxiety, physical inactivity, bad habits . Especially terrible is untreated hypertension in middle age, which patients either do not know or ignore. “This option is a 100% hit in dementia at 70-75 years old,” says Dr. Runikhina.
At the same time, dementia is rapidly getting younger. This is indirectly indicated by the work carried out by the volunteers of the Medical Volunteers organization. testing the cognitive status of 3,000 Russians over the age of 18. Evaluation of brain function based on a special test revealed some kind of cognitive decline in 51% of those who underwent the study. Even among people aged 18-35 there were 6% of them! Among 36-45 — already 22%, 48-60 — 24%, 61-75 — 57%, and over 75 — 76%. The highest rates were demonstrated by people with intense physical activity and higher education. Among young people, the worst indicators of cognitive status are among those who smoke and drink.
Another curious observation: Russian testing showed the lowest percentage of cognitive impairment in people engaged in mental work (which is understandable). Those who have a job related to physical activity were in second place in this ranking. And the worst indicators are those whose work is related to communication — doctors have no explanation for this fact, and many scientific works contradict such conclusions.
«Social isolation, loneliness are associated with anxiety and depression. And among the elderly, cognitive abilities turned out to be best for those who live together with someone, and worst of all for those who rarely communicate with relatives,” says Nadezhda Runikhina.
The specialist believes that in the country needs to introduce a regular assessment of cognitive functions in Russians: the earlier the initial signs of dementia are detected, the more likely it is to slow down its development.