The number of people with dementia growing in Armenia - Ministry of Health

YEREVAN, March 20. /ARKA/. The number of people with dementia is increasing year by year in Armenia, according to Gevork Pashayan, chief advisor on psychiatry to the minister of health.

'Dementia results from a variety of diseases and injuries that affect the brain. Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia and may contribute to 60–70% of cases. Armenia has developed a national dementia prevention plan at the request of the Ministry of Health, as well as an action plan,' Pashayan said at a press conference today.

"I can only say that this problem is quite acute in our country. It is associated with the aging of the population, as well as various somatic diseases that have a chronic course, eventually leading to dementia," he said.

According to him, a striking example are vascular diseases and high blood pressure, which, if not properly controlled, also lead to dementia. He noted that dementia is an incurable disease. Nevertheless, the state must take steps to prevent it.

"We must slow down the process as much as possible, organize normal treatment, thereby ensuring an improvement in the quality of life of the elderly," Pashayan said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), currently more than 55 million people have dementia worldwide, over 60% of whom live in low-and middle-income countries. Every year, there are nearly 10 million new cases. Dementia is currently the seventh leading cause of death and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people globally. -0-