Senile dementia, that neurodegenerative process of the brain that affects older people and leads to a gradual and irreversible reduction of the cognitive faculties, is dramatically increasing. Currently, the prevalence is 8% in the over-65s and exceeds 20% after eighty years. In Italy, the total number of patients with dementia is estimated at over one million (of which around 600,000 with Alzheimer’s disease) and about 3 million are the people directly or indirectly involved in assisting their loved ones. But according to some projections, they explain from the National Institute of Health, the cases of dementia could triple in the next 30 years in western countries.
The World Health Organization has called it a world public health priority. In 2010, 35.6 million people were affected by dementia, a figure that reached 46.8 million in 2015, with an estimate of doubling (74.7 million) in 2030, and tripling (131.5 million) in 2050, with each year 7.7 million new cases (1 every 4 seconds) and an average survival after diagnosis of 4-8 years.
In this already bleak international panorama, unfortunately, our country is particularly affected because of the characteristics of its population, one of the oldest in Europe: almost 17%, for a total of 9.5 million, is over 65 years of age. According to ISTAT data, as of 1 January 2013, Italy ranks second in Europe, with a number of elderly aged 65 or over (13.4 million), equal to 22% of the total population ( 2015 data). Both the active population aged 15-64 (39 million, 64.3% of the total) and the one up to 14 years of age (8.3 million, 13.7%) are in decline. Data that lead to discouraging results also for the old-age index, ie for the percentage ratio between the elderly population (65 years and over) and the youth population (less than 15 years), with a ratio of 161, 1 senior per 100 young people. All these places our country among the oldest in the world, together with Japan (old age index of 204.9 in 2015) and Germany (159.9 in 2015).
The situations of infertility and the low birth rate of the Bel Paese do not bode well for the future either: according to demographic projections, in 2051 Italy will have 280 seniors for every 100 young people.
A demographic reality not without consequences. In fact, all the chronic diseases are in fact increasing, as they are age-related, and among these rare dementias.
This is a tragedy for those affected. More or less slowly, occasional personality problems and changes in mood may appear, minor memory problems, language, and reasoning, then such symptoms worsen, remembering becomes increasingly difficult, cognitive faculties decline more and more, sometimes to be insufficient to lead an independent life, to recognize loved ones, sometimes swallowing and motor difficulties also appear. A tragedy for those affected, but also for his family. Unfortunately, senile dementia is still an incurable disease, although many research projects are currently underway to identify effective therapies.