“Physicians need to prepare themselves to detect early cognitive impairments and implement possible preventive measures through early detection of the disease and proper management,” he said at a medical conference here for latest updates on treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The conference was attended by over 300 physicians from all over the country.

Dr Abyad, who is also the chairperson of the conference, said: “Alzheimer's is quite prevalent in the region and the most unfortunate thing about this disease is that it is not diagnosed or treated properly. There is an obvious lack of awareness about the disease and is often referred to as a part of growing old. The only time families take the patient to the doctor is when the symptoms get worse.”

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Dr Hanan Al Sheikh Ibrahim, Geriatrician from American Hospital in Dubai, told Khaleej Times that they had begun research studies on dementia and Alzheimer's, and were collaborating with several hospitals and the Ministry of Health (MoH).

“We will be recruiting geriatricians and specialists to help us in the research, and in the awareness campaign that we intend to launch both for the public and the medical fraternity,” he said, adding that the campaign would stress on drug treatment for the disease besides seeking specialists in the Gulf.

Alzheimer's is a relatively unknown disorder which people tend to dismiss as part of old age, little realising that the disease gradually destroys cells in the brain, causing progressive decline in memory, thinking, calculation, comprehension, language, learning capacity and judgment. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia accounting for about 50 per cent to 70 per cent of all dementia cases worldwide as proven by studies and research.

Dr Ibrahim said several elderly people, despite the fact that they were respected in the region, suffer from discrimination due to dementia and most of the people think it's a normal disease that surfaces with age. “This perception about age and dementia is absolutely wrong. Several cases have been reversed and a number of other cases are also reversible. We do not seek to make people live longer, but give them a good life as long as they live,” he said.

Professor Dr Roy Jones, Director of Research of the Institute for the Care of the Elderly at St. Martin's Hospital in the UK, who presented NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate), said: “Doctors in the UK have reached an advanced stage in treating the symptoms through drugs. We are also conducting researches to get to the root cause of the disease and I think Stem Cell research can help in finding the cause. Doctors should make a positive diagnosis in order to help the patients.”

In the course of the conference, participants were presented Ebixa (memantine), which is considered as the only agent to treat moderately severe to severe Alzheimer's disease.

“This is a breakthrough for the care of elderly as Ebixa is the only medicine approved to treat mild and severe cases of Alzheimer's and debunks the myth that there is no effective treatment for the disease. The elderly are mostly ignored in our healthcare system and hopefully, with early diagnosis and proper treatment, patients with Alzheimer's will have improved quality of life,” Dr Abyad said.

Some facts at a glance

ALZHEIMER'S is the most common form of dementia affecting about five per cent of men and 6 per cent of women over 60 years of age, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report.With the ageing of population, the figure is expected to increase rapidly over the next 20 years. Currently, about two persons are struck by Alzheimer's disease everyday worldwide.