Alzheimer’s disease now commonly found in people in 30 to 40 age group as a result of lifestyle stress

PETALING JAYA: The stress of modern society has taken a heavy toll on Malaysians.

More than 40,000 have been diagnosed with dementia as of last year, according to data from PubMed Central, the National Library of Medicine at the US National Institutes of Health.

The data also shows that the proportion of the population that will have some form of dementia is likely to be three times more in the 2050s compared with last year.

Sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are also getting younger. Between 2,000 and 2,500 sufferers are only in their 30s and 40s.

Counselling psychologist Fenella Ting said research has shown that stress can cause inflammation in the brain, making one more susceptible to dementia.

Cognitive functions, such as memory deteriorate with age, but mostly in people who are long past retirement age.

The many forms of deterioration in mental capacity are collectively known as dementia, the most common of which is
Alzheimer’s disease.

Mayo Clinic, a non-profit US academic medical centre, defines Alzheimer’s disease as a “progressive neurologic disorder that leads to a decline in thinking, behavioural and social skills, affecting the sufferer’s ability to function independently”.

Early onset of dementia comes in the form of various cognitive disorders, but they are poorly understood, according to Mental Illness Awareness and Support Association founder and president Anita Abu Bakar. “As a result, it is commonly under-diagnosed, misunderstood and inadequately treated,” she told theSun.

She said on the bright side, healthcare providers have been successful in helping sufferers maintain their mental function, enabling them to manage their behaviour and slowing down deterioration.

Patients may be given drug and non-drug treatments, support, enrolled in activities and provided advice to help them live well, said Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia senior clinical psychologist Dr Normah Che Din.

“Drugs are used to improve memory and judgment, while therapy helps to reduce anxiety and depression,” she said.

“But more importantly, is the need to stay healthy and be physically active, eat a balanced diet and not smoke.”

Normah said younger people are more likely to suffer from a form of dementia known as sporadic Alzheimer’s.

She said genetics have nothing to do with the onset of sporadic Alzheimer’s, but experts still do not know why it affects younger people.

However, she added there are also young people with familial Alzheimer’s, but these are individuals who already have a parent or grandparent who developed the condition at a young age.

Anita said many people view Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia as a normal part of ageing, and do not seek medical treatment.

She added that this will increase the prevalence of early onset of Alzheimer’s in Malaysia.

The Covid-19 pandemic may also become a trigger for the onset of dementia.

While it is still too early to confirm, Ting said the pandemic may lead to long-term neurological and psychological disorders.

Other research seems to point to the possibility that people with some form of dementia are at higher risk of contracting Covid, according to a report on nature.com.

This stems from the fact that sufferers of neuropsychiatric illnesses have difficulty following lockdown requirements, the report concluded.