The number of dementia patients in the world is estimated to reach 132 million in 2050, an increase of 300 percent from 47 million, according to a report from Alzheimer’s Disease International. Source: Swedish Today’ s Medicine (DM) 2015-08-25.
Sweden, with 10 million inhabitants is one of the most long-lived populations in the world.
Over 1,6 million or 16 percent are +70 years.More than 160 000 Swedes are suffering from dementia. The majority (60 – 70 percent) have the dominating form of dementia, Alzheimer’ s disease.
Dementia is diagnosed in 8 percent of people older than 65 years, in 20 percent older than 80 years and almost in half of those older than 90. There are at least 80 different dementia diseases.
To fight the dementia diseases effectively there is a need for better diagnostics and prognostics (“early warning systems”), better treatment and better (meaning non-anticholinergic) prescriptions drugs in general.
A full range of dementia tailored prescription drugs, when will it appear?
A recently published article Common drugs linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s puts the light on the problem.
Quote: “Anticholinergic medications may increase the risk of accelerated cognitive decline, especially in older adults at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”
The article by James Kingsland, is published in MedicalNewsToday on September 16, 2020. Facts checked by Allison Kirsop, PhD.
Quote: “Anticholinergic drugs block the action of acetylcholine, a chemical messenger that controls a range of automatic bodily functions and plays a vital role in memory and attention. Doctors prescribe these drugs for a variety of conditions, including urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), seasonal allergies, and depression.”
Also please note a study from Karolinska Institutet Proton pump inhibitors act with unprecedented potencies as inhibitors of the acetylcholine biosynthesizing enzyme—A plausible missing link for their association with incidence of dementia, published May 2020.
https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12113
“Should be punishable.”
“To medicate a person with a dementia disease is as difficult as medicating a premature baby. But imagine that the health care system would treat an infant as ignorant as it treats elderly.”
Dr Yngve Gustafson, geriatric professor, Umeå University, is well known by the public as a fighter for better dementia health care. He is upset and critical of the poor treatment the dementia patients generally get.
“Prescribing wrong drugs and drugs in too high doses is common. Some prescriptions are made over the phone by doctors without even having examined the patient. That should be punishable.”
Source: Swedish Dementia Association’ s (Demensförbundet) home page.
Summary
The dementia market is still dormant and unclear. The patients often have a low status in the health organization, a consequence of lacking effective treatment. Dementia patients have no voice in the media.
When “dementia tailored” products will be introduced, dementia awareness will increase, market will wake up requesting more effective products, better information etc. We’ve seen this happen time and again.
Keeping an eye on this “ticking bomb market” can therefore be fruitful.
Also, Nordic countries are good test markets for new dementia products.
//COB
