Early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease is important September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Awareness Day, and on September 14, Alzheimer’s Disease International released its 2011 Global Alzheimer’s Disease Report, calling for early diagnosis and intervention for Alzheimer’s disease (Alzheimer’s), which it said would be beneficial to global health, the economy and society. society. The report comes on the heels of a report by the association that said the global economic cost of Alzheimer’s disease exceeded $600 billion in 2010, a figure that is impossible to ignore. ”Old age” is a terrible cognitive error. Wei Cuibai, director general of the Neurology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and deputy chief physician of the Department of Neurology at Xuanwu Hospital in Beijing, said that the consultation rate of Alzheimer’s patients in China has been low, and there is a long way to go for early diagnosis. Correcting public misconceptions: Alzheimer’s is not “old and confused” In 2009, Liu, a retired teacher in Beijing’s Tongzhou district, found that his old partner often lost everything, sometimes coming back after buying food and running out with shopping bags after a while, and often doing the same action over and over again, such as a simple power switch. He will turn it on and off, off and on again. “Old fogey.” This is Liu’s summary of her partner, for which she has not a few criticism of her partner, and even angry for this angry. In her opinion, 70-year-old people appear these are normal, who did not take it to heart. Then a year later, her partner began to show some strange mental symptoms, such as irritability, before love to go out for a walk, but now also reluctant to go out, often bored at home, these emotional changes let the family gradually pay attention to. Diagnosed in a hospital’s neurology department, Mr. Liu got a diagnosis certificate: Alzheimer’s disease. Mr. Liu said that now his mind is all adjusted. Before the diagnosis, always thought he was forgetful, can not do a little thing, and difficult to serve, now know that the disease is “messed up”, so try to understand him. She said, “If only I had gone to the doctor earlier, I wouldn’t have gone to the hospital until now when my condition is so serious.” Liu’s awareness of the disease is common. Professor Zhang Junjian, a member of the “Dementia and Cognitive Disorders Group” of the Neurology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and a neurologist at Wuhan University Central South Hospital, said a survey showed that 47 percent of Alzheimer’s disease families believe that the patient’s condition is the result of natural aging and is “old and confused. The survey showed that 47 percent of Alzheimer’s disease families believe that the patient’s condition is the result of natural aging and that he or she is “senile. Under the misconception of “Alzheimer’s disease is natural aging”, the consultation rate of Alzheimer’s patients in China has been very low, and the survey shows that the consultation rate of patients with mild dementia is only 14%, and few patients in rural areas receive standardized treatment. It is understood that the most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for about 70% of the disease. This is followed by vascular dementia, in addition to different types of dementia such as Parkinson’s disease dementia and Lewy body disease dementia. As a progressive impairment syndrome that affects memory, thinking, behavior and daily living ability, Alzheimer’s disease can take patients from mild memory and cognitive impairment to a final vegetative state for years or even decades, which is a painful process for both patients and families. The low rate of early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease has aroused Wei Cuibai’s concern, she said, “old age” is a terrible cognitive error, and the more advanced Alzheimer’s disease is, the greater the danger, so early diagnosis and early treatment are of great importance, and early prevention and treatment are recognized worldwide as powerful measures to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Early intervention for Alzheimer’s disease reduces financial burden In April this year, the International Alzheimer’s Association and the NIH came out and released new criteria and guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis in Chicago, calling for early screening for Alzheimer’s disease and active early intervention. Dr. Brendon, a professor of health policy and policy analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health, said people with Alzheimer’s disease require so much care that it is no longer a medical problem, but has become a major social issue. In recent years, Alzheimer’s has become an “epidemic” with a rapidly increasing incidence in the elderly population. Research by the China Association of Geriatric Health Care found that the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is increasing at a rate of 1.4% per year in developed cities such as Shanghai. Alzheimer’s disease has become the fourth leading cause of death among the elderly, after heart disease, cancer and stroke. Wang Yinhua, head of the Chinese Alzheimer’s Association and professor of neurology at Peking University School of Medicine, said that there are about 26 million people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease worldwide, and the number of Alzheimer’s patients in China accounts for about 1/4 of the total, more than 6 million people, and this number can no longer be ignored. More importantly, the economic burden caused by Alzheimer’s disease is getting more and more serious. The International Alzheimer’s Association reported that in 2010, the global economic burden of Alzheimer’s disease was $604 billion. If this figure is converted, it will be alarming, comparing the economic burden of Alzheimer’s disease to a country, the country called “Alzheimer’s” is the world’s 18th largest economy, and if it is a company, it is the world’s largest company in terms of annual revenue, more than the chain giant Wal-Mart ($414 billion). In China, one Alzheimer’s patient spends $800 to $900 a month on medication, and at $80 billion, $57.6 billion will be spent on medication, not including the cost of care, Wei said. “The complex pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease has led to low awareness.” Wei Cuibai said it is important to remind that patients with Alzheimer’s disease have different symptoms, such as vascular dementia, which occurs mostly in stroke patients and can present with abnormal gait and facial droop. In contrast, symptoms of Parkinson’s disease dementia patients include walking stiffly and falling frequently. Wei Cuibai said that early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and early delaying or even stopping the progression of the disease is a big social problem not only for the patient but also for the whole family and society.