VOALearningEnglish2012.5.17---Dementia Cases May Triple by 2050 as World Ages

VOALearningEnglish2012.5.17---Dementia Cases May Triple by 2050 as World Ages

Dementia Cases May Triple by 2050 as World Ages
This is the VOA Special English Health Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish

Dementia is the loss of mental abilities caused by brain disorders that affect memory, thinking, behavior and judgment. The most common cause of dementia, especially in older people, is Alzheimer's disease. It causes up to seventy percent of dementia cases. Worldwide an estimated thirty-six million people are living with dementia. A new report predicts that number will increase to more than one hundred fifteen million by twenty-fifty. The report is from the World Health Organization and Alzheimer's Disease International. The number of cases in the heavily populated developing world is expected to grow as more people live longer. The report says more than half of those with dementia now live in low- and middle-income countries. This number is likely to rise to more than seventy percent by twenty-fifty. People are living longer because of better health care and increasing wealth. But the report says dementia is not a normal part of growing old. Shekhar Saxena is the director of mental health and substance abuse research at the WHO. He says dementia is often not recognized. It is commonly mistaken for an age-related decline in functioning because it can mimic age-related problems, and also it progresses slowly. Even in high-income countries, only one-fifth to one-half of the cases of dementia are routinely recognized. This percentage is much lower in middle and low-income countries. Martin Prince is a professor at Kings College London. He says many people wrongly believe that dementia and Alzheimer's disease are not problems in poorer countries. He says findings from recent studies in western Africa conflict with the belief that Alzheimer's disease is rare on the continent. There are fewer older people because life expectancy is shorter. But among people who live to old age, he says, rates of dementia look quite similar to high-income countries. The WHO says treating and caring for people with dementia currently costs the world six hundred billion dollars a year. That includes the reduction of earnings for people with dementia and their caregivers.The agency calls for greater efforts to identify dementia early and to educate the public and provide better care. Dementia may be incurable, but health officials say much can be done to improve the lives of people who have it, and support their families and caregivers. To learn more about Alzheimer's disease, go to voaspecialenglish.com. For VOA Special English, I'm Carolyn Presutti.(Adapted from a radio program broadcast 18Apr2012)

癡呆症可能會增加兩倍，到2050年，作為世界中世紀
這是美國之音特別英語衛生報告“，從http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish

老年癡呆症是引起大腦功能紊亂，影響記憶，思維，行為和判斷的心理能力的喪失。老年癡呆症，尤其是中老年人最常見的原因，是阿爾茨海默氏症。它會導致癡呆症的百分之七十。全球估計有三十六個萬人患有癡呆症的生活。一份新的報告預測，這一數字將增加至超過一百二十五十五萬元。該報告是由世界衛生組織和阿爾茨海默氏病國際。在人口稠密的發展中國家的情況下，預計增長為更多的人活得更長。報告說，超過一半患有癡呆症的人，現在住在低收入和中等收入國家。這一數字很可能二十五上升到百分之七十以上。人是活的更長，因為更好的醫療保健和增加財富。但報告說，老年癡呆症是不是老去的正常組成部分。德拉謝卡爾Saxena先生是在世衛組織精神衛生和物質濫用研究主任。他說，老年癡呆症往往不承認。它通常被誤認為是與年齡有關的下降在運作，因為它可以模仿與年齡有關的問題，也進展緩慢。即使在高收入國家中，只有五分之一到一半的老年癡呆症的情況定期確認。在中等和低收入國家的這一比例要低得多。馬丁王子是在倫敦國王學院的教授。他說，許多人錯誤地認為，老年癡呆症和阿爾茨海默氏病是不是貧窮國家的問題。他說，在西部非洲衝突的信念，阿爾茨海默氏病是罕見的大陸上最近的研​​究結果。有較少的老年人，因為壽命較短。但其中的人活到老，他說，老年癡呆症率看起來頗為相似，高收入國家。世界衛生組織說，治療和照顧患有癡呆症的人，目前的成本每年六千億美元的世界。這包括與老年癡呆症的人，他們呼籲作出更大的努力，以確定老年癡呆症早期和公眾教育和提供更好的照顧caregivers.The機構的盈利減少。老年癡呆症可能是不治之症，但衛生官員說，可以做很多事情的人有改善生活，並支持他們的家人和照顧者。要了解阿爾茨海默氏病，去voaspecialenglish.com。美國之音特別英語，我：卡羅琳Presutti。（改編從一個電台節目中播出18Apr2012）