Uwishema Olivier, Kassahun Bekele Bezawit, Nazir Abubakar, Filbert Luta Erick, Abdulnaser Al-Saab Elaf, Jacques Desire Irakiza, Franklin Ozioma Chukwuma, Wojtara Magda
Oli Health Magazine Organization, Research and Education.
Department of medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2024 Jul 1;86(9):5299-5303. doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000002344. eCollection 2024 Sep.
Alzheimer's disease represents a substantial and escalating public health threat across Africa. Alzheimer's disease leads to substantial cognitive impairment and memory loss, placing a heavy burden on the affected individuals and their families, friends, and caregivers. It affects 2.67 million people in Africa, the majority of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. The prevalence of this disease is expected to rise drastically to approximately 150 million individuals worldwide by 2050, as estimated by the WHO.
This paper offers an integrative profile of Alzheimer's disease in Africa, spanning known genetic and modifiable risks, discusses the existing challenges in diagnosis and treatment, projections on prevalence and disability-adjusted life year burden through 2050, and priority policy responses needed to rebalance the equation.
This paper examines available literature to summarize current knowledge on risk factors, diagnosis, treatments, and burden of Alzheimer's disease in Africa. Gather epidemiological assessments, clinical guidelines, and commentary related to Alzheimer's disease in Africa.
The data reveals concerning realities regarding Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and care in Africa. Diagnostic infrastructure shortcomings, resource limitations, and knowledge gaps emerge as recurring barriers. Positron emission tomography scans, cerebrospinal fluid assays, and other mainstay detection modalities common in developed countries show restricted availability.
Addressing Africa's Alzheimer's disease crisis demands a multipronged strategy to uplift diagnostic capacities, treatment availability, specialist training, public awareness, and coordinated policymaking. Prioritizing biomarkers and imaging to confirm early neurodegeneration is foundational, alongside drug access expansion.
阿尔茨海默病对整个非洲的公共卫生构成了重大且不断升级的威胁。阿尔茨海默病会导致严重的认知障碍和记忆丧失，给患者及其家人、朋友和护理人员带来沉重负担。在非洲，有267万人受其影响，其中大多数生活在撒哈拉以南非洲地区。据世界卫生组织估计，到2050年，全球该疾病的患病率预计将急剧上升至约1.5亿人。
本文全面介绍了非洲的阿尔茨海默病情况，涵盖已知的遗传和可改变风险，讨论了诊断和治疗方面的现有挑战、到2050年患病率和残疾调整生命年负担的预测，以及重新平衡这一局面所需的优先政策应对措施。
本文查阅了现有文献，以总结非洲阿尔茨海默病风险因素、诊断、治疗和负担方面的当前知识。收集与非洲阿尔茨海默病相关的流行病学评估、临床指南和评论。
数据揭示了非洲阿尔茨海默病诊断和护理方面令人担忧的现实情况。诊断基础设施不足、资源限制和知识差距反复出现，成为障碍。正电子发射断层扫描、脑脊液检测和发达国家常见的其他主要检测方式在非洲的可及性有限。
应对非洲的阿尔茨海默病危机需要采取多管齐下的战略，以提高诊断能力、治疗可及性、专科培训、公众意识并协调政策制定。优先考虑生物标志物和成像以确认早期神经退行性变是基础，同时扩大药物可及性。
