New Delhi: One person in every 50 households in India suffers from Alzheimer`s disease or other related forms of dementia, according to a report by Alzheimer`s Disease International (ADI) released Tuesday.
"India has nearly 3.7 million people suffering with the degenerative illness and the number is expected to double by the year 2030," said K.Jacob Ray, chairman of Alzheimer`s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI).
Alzheimer`s and other forms of dementia usually occur after the age of 65. The symptoms include inability to acquire new memories, difficulty in recalling recently observed facts or inability to identify family members.
The report, issued on International Alzheimer`s day by ADI in association with ARDSI, was simultaneously released in New York and London. The worldwide costs of dementia will exceed 1 percent of global GDP in 2010, at 604 billion dollars, it says. "The focus needs to be on awareness, supporting the victim and initiating research on the illness. Social approach towards the treatment is also required, apart from medical help," ADI`s executive director Mark Wortmann said.
IANS