Dementia: Why People Start Forgetting Recent Events More Than the Past

Apart from the Covid-19 epidemic, dementia is one of the major health problems in the world today. The World Health Organization says most countries are failing to address the growing problem of dementia.

Only a quarter of the world's countries have national policies to help people with dementia and their families, according to the organization’s report.

According to the World Health Organization, more than five and a half billion people currently suffer from dementia, and that number will triple by the middle of this century.

The disease was first mentioned in 1907 by a German physician named Alois Alzheimer. An autopsy of a woman with dementia revealed that her brain had dramatically dried up and that abnormalities had developed in and around the nerve cells.

It was a very rare disease at the time, and there was little research into the next few decades.

What is dementia?

Dementia is a symptom of many diseases of the brain. A normal and common feature of it is amnesia or forgetfulness. It is much more difficult for someone with dementia to remember recent events than in the past.

Bangladesh Medical College, head of the Department of Neuro Medicine and neurologist Seheli Jahan said, it is basically a disease of old people.

"In most cases, there are problems with memory. Simply put, it is a disease of forgetfulness. There are other problems with it, such as not being able to do one's own tasks properly. Someone also has problems walking," he said.  

Dementia was first mentioned in 1906 by a German physician named Alois Alzheimer's.

Other symptoms of dementia include changes in behavior, mood and personality, being lost in familiar places or not being able to find the right word when talking to someone.

It can even get to the point where he can't remember whether he ate or not. Where they put the key, whether they signed the check - all these are easily forgotten.

They can't even speak properly. They can't match what you use word for word or what you say in one sentence after another.

Dr. Jahan said that there are different types of dementia. The most common of these is Alzheimer's dementia which is hereditary.

Other dementias include vascular dementia, leukemia, dementia, frontal temporal dementia, and Parkinson's dementia.

Why do people forget?  Seheli Jahan said, "A specific place in the brain, which is the entrance to memory, is called the hippocampus. It is at this entry point that the disease attacks."

"This means that when there is dementia, the hippocampus dries out and becomes smaller. When it is well, it can collect various memories and organize them like a place. But when the hippocampus itself becomes ill, it can no longer organize memories."

That is why people are starting to lose their memories of the past, she said.

"They remembers things from twenty years ago. Because they were people who put things in order. They're in order. But there are no people who put things in order now! That's why they start to forget the memories of recent times," he said. Seheli Jahan.

Dementia in Bangladesh

According to the World Health Organization, the number of deaths due to dementia has doubled since 2000. Dementia is currently the fifth leading cause of death in the world.

The disease is most prevalent in rich countries.

Alzheimer's Research UK, a British charity, says dementia is one of the biggest health challenges in our time.

But the neurologist of Bangladesh Medical College. Seheli Jahan said the disease is not yet as prevalent in Bangladesh as in Western countries.

"Among the patients I see in my hospital, the number of dementia patients is very low compared to other diseases. However, there is very little awareness among the people about this disease. That is why I can't say whether they bring patients to the doctor or not. Most of them have had a few strokes, "said Dr. Seheli Jahan.

"The brain of epilepsy patients does not function properly at one stage. It is often seen that these patients are brought to the doctors after many years by showing Pir-Fakir. Then there is nothing to do."

Life expectancy in Bangladesh is lower than in the West, which may be one of the reasons for the low number of dementia patients.

"Their medical system is very advanced. As a result, they can easily diagnose the disease. It is also true that they live for many years. Again, it is also true that these problems start appearing from the age of 60/70 years. "

Why is dementia

One reason- people are now living longer than before. And with age, the risk of developing dementia increases.

The BBC's Health and Science correspondent James Gallagher says the treatment for a life-threatening illness is as costly as dementia - which can be seen in this way.

Dr. Seheli Jahan said dementia can be caused by repeated strokes, brain infections, or hormonal imbalances, as well as vitamin deficiencies, in addition to hereditary factors.

Studies have shown that amyloid beta protein has a close relationship with Alzheimer's. It is thought that the accumulation of these proteins causes the death of brain cells.

That's why scientists believe that removing amyloid beta proteins could protect brain cells.

Scientists say the human brain is truly a wonderful and complex structure. The brain is made up of more than 100 billion neurons.

That being said, if everyone in this world had a computer and everyone logged in together and worked at the same time, then that work would not be equal to one-tenth of the work of the brain.