20030905One in 45 people will have Alzheimer's by 2050, pharmacologist predicts

Mª Javier Ramírez, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Navarra, said that "Alzheimer's disease is the cause of 70% of dementias in the elderly and, if the rate of growth continues at this rate, by 2050 one in 45 people will suffer from this disease". This expert spoke about the alterations of the report in the summer course "Aging and disease", framed within the program of the Regional Government "For the society of knowledge".

The expert, co-director of this course, warned that "Alzheimer's disease is one of the main health problems worldwide". And, despite the fact that "in recent years much has been studied on causes, evolution and treatment, there is still a long way to go".

Seven million Spaniards over 65 years old

In addition, this pharmacologist commented that, "as currently seven million Spaniards are over 65 years of age, the economic and social cost of this disease subject is very high".

He also clarified that "the deterioration of many intellectual functions in the elderly does not necessarily have to be pathological. In case of continuous complaints, a specialist should be consulted to distinguish a problem of report associated with age from a pathological status ".