One out of Three Aged People Will Have Dementia

Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare released an estimation that one out of three aged people in 65 years old or older in Japan will have dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in 2040. Although the estimated number of people with the disease has decreased, dementia remains to be a great social problem of Japan in the future. The government of Japan needs to accelerate its effort to improve the measures to deal with it.

Dementia is a symptom with human aging, in which gradually decline in memory or social skills with insufficient function of brain. It has variety of shapes, including Alzheimer’s disease or Lewy body dementia. To deal with increase of the disease has been a major issue for Japanese society in the future, which already is highly aged.

 

The estimate of MHLW expected the number of people with dementia will rise from 4.43 million (12.3 percent) in 2022 to 5.84 million (14.9 percent) in 2040, the year when the number of aged people in 65 years old or older will be peaked. It will further increase to 6.45 million (17.7 percent) in 2060.

 

MHLW also released an estimate on MCI for the first time. MCI is recognized as a symptom in the stage before dementia, causing decline in memory but being able to keep ordinary life. It indicated that the people with MCI would increase from 5.58 million (15.5 percent) in 2022 to 6.12 million (15.6 percent). However, it will rise to 6.32 million (17.4 percent) in 2060.

 

Serious result of the report was the fact that the people with dementia and MCI will occupy one third of all the people in Japan.

 

In a previous report in 2015, the government estimated that 6.75 million of the people would be with dementia in 2025. The number was decreased by about 2 million to 4.71 million this time, thanking for the development of technology of remedy and improvement of the people’s mind for health.

 

Smoking cigarettes is known as causing dementia. The ratio of smoking population in Japan has significantly decreased from 2001 to 2022, from 48.4 percent to 25.4 percent in male and from 14.0 percent to 7.7 percent in female. Advanced medical study produced new remedies for high blood pressure, diabetes or hyperlipidemia.

 

In the aspect of policy, the Diet legislated the Dementia Basic Act this January. To preserve the dignity of the patients with dementia, the law mandates national and local governments to promote necessary measures for removing social barriers and generating correct understanding about the disease. The law also requires the people to understand dementia and make efforts for achieving an inclusive society.

 

It is necessary for the governments to remove discrimination against dementia and establish an environment for the patients to work comfortably.

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