Currently, the country is undergoing a shocking increase in dementia patients. Specialists estimate that by 2050, the number of diagnosed patients might increase to an incredible 115 million. That increase is bad enough, but it points to an even more worrisome trend. Cases of dementia in the country have tripled in the last 30 years.
By 1990, there were an estimated 4 million people with dementia in China. By 2021, that figure had skyrocketed to 17 million. The alarming increase in dementia cases represents one of the most urgent public health challenges our nation faces. In China, the average annual increase for all dementias combined is 0.68 percent, well ahead of the global average growth rate of 0.06 percent.
As China’s population ages at an unprecedented rate, these factors create further challenges to addressing the burgeoning burden of dementia. Experts caution that almost two-thirds of the global cases of dementia in 2050 may start in China. Such an alarming statistic could place the country at the epicenter of an impending global health catastrophe.
The World Health Organization estimates that, if current trends continue, 152 million people around the globe will be affected by dementia by that same year. From 1990 onward, the burden of Alzheimer’s and other dementias has been increasing steadily. Between 1990 and 2021, the global incidence and prevalence rates of these conditions have at least doubled.
Directives Siyu Liu and Geng Daoying highlight the immediate need for action, writing,
“Alzheimer’s and other dementias (ADD) are one of the diseases with the heaviest global disease burden. The disease burden of ADD in China and globally has increased year by year from 1990 to 2021.”
Until there are better strategies for prevention and treatment, experts warn that the dementia tidal wave will surge on. This rapid trend poses a major challenge to healthcare systems. Beyond these, it places a tremendous burden on families and communities as they succumb to the emotional and economic impacts of caring for those harmed.
The increasing prevalence of dementia in China underscores the importance of developing comprehensive public health policies aimed at addressing this growing concern. Therefore, as our nation continues to deal with the challenges of an aging population, the need to introduce successful intervention strategies only grows more important.
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