Medical dementia is recognized too late

Dementia is recognized late by many people affected
In our aging society, dementia is becoming increasingly important. Researchers now report that significantly more people are affected than previously thought. The disease is often recognized too late.

Many dementia patients did not have the appropriate diagnosis
According to a study by the Universities of Rostock and Greifswald, many older people suffer from dementia than previously thought. According to a report by the dpa news agency, the unikliniken reported that at the same time, almost all patients with diagnosed dementia also had problems with the correct use of their medication. The scientists examined a total of 630 women and men from all over Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, who had already been treated by primary care physicians and suffered from memory problems, for their study. A sad fact is that 40 percent of the patients who were obtained for the study, had no dementia diagnosis, but were sick.

Dementia: Often too late diagnosis. (Image: Osterland / Fotolia)

Number of dementia patients will rise
According to the German Alzheimer Society, around 1.5 million people suffer from dementia nationwide. The number of people with dementia will rise enormously, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned recently. It is estimated that the number of patients could double by the year 2050, unless a breakthrough in therapy succeeds. Health experts say that one day an effective therapy will be available, but it is still unclear when. Therefore, it is recommended to use existing prevention and treatment options. For example, it is known that the treatment of diabetes and hypertension reduces the risk of developing dementia. According to older studies, senile dementia could be reduced by taking vitamin B.

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