Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Week is celebrated in the Philippines during the third week of September. This annual event serves to raise awareness of the disease and the issues it presents. Everybody is working on raising awareness of Alzheimer's disease. The condition is one of the most common types of dementia, a group of diseases that cause cognitive decline.
Why does the purple ribbon symbolize Alzheimer's disease? Blue and red are combined to create purple. It is a distinguishing color which brings together the cool reliability of blue and the fiery vigor of red. The color purple symbolizes the unyielding resolve of the Alzheimer's Association and its supporters in the face of the disease.
The most prevalent form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. It's a disease that worsens over time, starting with modest memory loss and eventually making it difficult to have a conversation or react to one's surroundings. The areas of the brain responsible for cognition, memory, and language are all affected by Alzheimer's disease.
In the Philippines, there were approximately 2,010 people who died from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in that year. The Philippines has the 172nd highest death rate of the disease in the world. However, most cases are usually in the western countries. Alzheimer's disease affects around 5.8 million persons in the United States aged 65 and older. Eighty percent are 75 years or older. The disease is expected to affect 60 to 70 percent of the approximately 50 million people with dementia worldwide.
According to researches, there is no known cause. However, a variety of circumstances can influence each individual differently. Age and family history are the best-known risk factors for this kind of Alzheimer's disease. Scientists speculate that genetic predispositions also play a role in Alzheimer's disease.
How might the foods we eat affect our brains? The Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish, and other seafood; contains unsaturated fats such as olive oil; and contains modest amounts of red meat, eggs, and sweets, is supported by encouraging research. The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet integrates the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which has been demonstrated to reduce high blood pressure, an Alzheimer's disease risk factor.
Although researchers have not yet found a cure for Alzheimer's disease, they are making efforts to enhance patients' quality of life in the meantime. Helping patients keep their brains healthy, controlling their behavioral symptoms, and postponing the onset of the disease are all goals of treatment. #HJVSalada/NASlabordo
REFERENCES:
Alzheimers & Dementia in Philippines. (n.d.). World Life Expectancy. https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/philippines-alzheimers-dementia#:~:text=Philippines%3A%20Alzheimers%20%26%20Dementia&text=According%20to%20the%20latest%20WHO,Philippines%20%23172%20in%20the%20world.
Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Week – Put Your Mind at Ease | EasyDNA PH. (2020). EasyDNA PH |. https://easydna.ph/alzheimers-disease-awareness-week-put-your-mind-at-ease/
SULTAN, A. (2021). World Alzheimer’s Day. WORLD ALZHEIMER’S DAY - September 21, 2022 - National Today. https://nationaltoday.com/world-alzheimers-day/
What Do We Know About Diet and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease? | National Institute on Aging. (2019). National Institute on Aging. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-do-we-know-about-diet-and-prevention-alzheimers-disease
What is Alzheimer’s Disease? | CDC. (2020). What Is Alzheimer’s Disease? | CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/aging/aginginfo/alzheimers.htm
WHITE FLOWERS, A Symbol of Hope for Alzheimer’s Disease. (2019). Flower Power. https://flowerpowerdaily.com/white-flowers-symbol-of-hope-for-alzheimers-disease/#:~:text=The%20American%20Alzheimer’s%20Association%2C%20based,the%20fight%20against%20Alzheimer’s%20disease.%E2%80%9D
