Dementia cases to hit 152 M by 2050 — WHO

MANILA, Philippines — The number of people with dementia is expected to triple from 50 million to 152 million by 2050 as the global population ages, according to a recent report of the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said nearly 10 million people develop dementia each year, with six million of them belonging to low and middle income countries.

“The suffering that results is enormous. This is an alarm call: we must pay greater attention to this growing challenge and ensure that all people living with dementia get all the care they need,” Ghebreyesus said.

Data from WHO estimated the annual global cost of dementia at $818 billion, which is equivalent to more than one percent of the global gross domestic product.

The amount includes direct medical costs, social care and informal care.

 By 2030, the cost is expected to balloon to $2 trillion, which could undermine the social and economic development and overwhelm health and social services, including long-term care systems.

To track the progress on the provision of services for people with dementia and those who care for them, the WHO launched the Global Dementia Observatory, a web-based platform that monitors the presence of national policy and plans, risk reduction measures and infrastructure for providing care and treatment. 

Information on surveillance systems and disease burden data is also included in the system.

Tarun Dua, of WHO’s department of mental health and substance abuse, said this is the first global monitoring system for dementia that includes a comprehensive range of data.

“The system will not only enable us to track progress, but also identify areas where future efforts are most needed,” Dua said.

Dementia is an umbrella term for several diseases that mostly affect a person’s memory, cognitive abilities and behavior, as well as his ability to maintain his daily activities. 

 Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia and accounts for 60 to 70 percent of the cases.