China's soaring dementia rates

Dementia rates are rising in China 50% faster than in the rest of the world, according to a new report released as the Chinese government unveils major investment in preventing and treating the disease.

Research by academics at Fudan University found that dementia diagnoses in China tripled between 1990 and 2021, while they only doubled across the rest of the world.

Nearly 17 million people in China were diagnosed with dementia in 2021, when dementia and related diseases became the country's fifth leading cause of death, according to World Health Organization data. China, which accounts for about 30% of dementia patients worldwide, is aiming to have a "sweeping action plan" in place by 2030, said the South China Morning Post.

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China's ageing boomers

The "main culprit" for the high numbers in China is population growth, said New Scientist. "Many countries have baby boomers, but not as large a cohort as China's", Xi Chen, associate professor of public health at Yale University, told the magazine. Birth rates in China "spiked" in the 1950s, and "those people are getting older today – they are now in their 70s" and becoming vulnerable to dementia.

Smoking rates are another factor: "roughly half" of all men smoke in China, in "sharp contrast" to Western countries such as the US and the UK, where smoking rates have steadily declined. There's "strong evidence" to show that smoking increases a person's risk of developing dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Society.

A shift towards more Westernised eating habits also plays a part. Western diets are higher in fat and calories, and correlate with higher incidences of diabetes and obesity, both of which are also risk factors for dementia.

While figures from the China Association for Alzheimer's Disease show that the "incidence and mortality rates" of dementia are "rapidly increasing", said the South China Morning Post, diagnosis and treatment rates "remain low" and public awareness about the disease is "insufficient.”

What's the plan?

Beijing's "action plan", a joint initiative of 15 government institutions, will encompass "all aspects" of the disease, from "prevention and early detection to diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and care", said the South China Morning Post.

Key to the plan is standardising diagnosis and treatment services across the country. People with dementia will be expected to occupy more than half the beds of certain elderly care institutions, and the number of trained dementia care workers will reach 15 million by 2030.

Prevention and early detection is also a crucial element of the plan, which includes a roll-out of nationwide cognitive function screenings for older citizens to identify those at risk of developing dementia. Authorities will also raise awareness of how the disease can be prevented and managed.

In parts of the country where "memory clinics" have already been established, such screenings are "as routine as blood pressure checks", said China Daily. They also offer support to elderly residents concerned about their cognitive functioning. "We prescribe 'homework' (such as) daily mind-body exercises tracked through WeChat group chats," said Beijing-based dementia caregiver Wang Hong. "They really work."