Has Covid 19 disease, lockdown and post-pandemic effect increased the incidence of dementia in India? Dementia is slowing down of cognitive skills in terms of memory loss and physical everyday functioning skills of daily living.
While data in India has always been a challenge, the disease is not only in senior citizens but also among those suffering from obesity and diabetes. Smokers are also another category of people who suffer from dementia.
Covid 19 disease impact has also been noticed in patients above 40 years of age with Post Covid brain fog. This is shown in terms of memory issues, poor attention and concentration, and difficulty in planning and decision making.
Dr Satish Kumar C R, Consultant, Clinical Psychology, Manipal Hospitals at Bengaluru explains, “In these patients above 40 years of age, we are expecting that the cognitive impairment could be temporary. In some cases, it has set in due to severe anxiety and depression. With people now coming back to the hospitals we have to wait and watch as the data is not sufficient. It is a silent disease as people often do not understand it.”
In India, the prevalence of dementia is reported to be 2.7%. Official records are low as these are only from the cities and not the rural and semi-rural areas. It is estimated that 20 per cent of the people above 80 years have dementia.
Pandemic has further increased the burden of dementia:
- Physical activity plays a critical role in keeping the brain away from degeneration related to ageing.
- Elderly were stuck at home for fear of Covid 19 and there was reduced physical activity. This in turn has increased the numbers but they are still not recorded or identified fully.
- It has been noted that those in the age group of 40 to 60 years are reporting symptoms like forgetfulness, difficulty in grasping, unable to understand and also difficulty in learning new things.
Dr. Kaustubh Mahajan, Consultant Neurologist, SL Raheja Hospital – A Fortis Associate says, “Besides population ageing, factors like smoking, obesity, high blood sugar, and lack of education on the subject will also play a crucial role in increasing the cases of dementia in the country. Further, India also lacks large population-based dementia registries or studies, making it difficult to obtain accurate estimates of the burden or its projection.”
Dr Mahajan explains there are simple measures to be followed to reduce the risk:
- Make good lifestyle decisions – eat healthy foods and avoid smoking
- Be physically active – Simple activities like daily walks for more than half an hour or engaging in any aerobic exercise are highly recommended for every person, regardless of their age and health status.
- Increase your brain reserve – Continue to learn new skills and language at every stage of your life. It is a good idea to keep your brain engaged with daily tasks, as that will help you learn something new every day.
- Be social – It is essential to communicate and engage with people outside your immediate family. Older adults tend to stay alone and do not engage with anyone, which is not a good sign – they should meet more people of their age and engage with them regularly.
- Have a good sleep routine – Uninterrupted sleep helps clear the body of toxic chemicals that accumulate in the brain, so make sure you get the required hours of sleep every night.
