Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are among the cruellest illnesses. Not only do they rob sufferers of their personality, independence and memories, those closest to them are affected, too. The costs and losses are personal but also societal. According to World Health Organisation figures from 2019, about half of the $1.3 trillion that dementia costs the global economy is attributable to unpaid care provided by family members and friends. Women are disproportionally affected, providing 70 per cent of care hours for those living with the condition.
For ageing societies, dementia poses a serious challenge for the future. Due to falling birth rates and people living longer, the Middle East has one of the fastest-ageing populations in the world. A report released last year by Alzheimer’s Disease International found that dementia rates in the Middle East are expected to increase by 367 per cent by 2050, affecting 13.8 million people. It is fitting, therefore, that some of the most advanced work to tackle these diseases is being supported by research from the region.
This week, The National reported that scientists from the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, an international initiative to promote brain health, recently met UAE health officials. Amond the advances these experts examined is data from the Emirati Genome Programme. Launched in Abu Dhabi in 2019 before being expanded nationwide, the programme’s findings from more than 815,000 Emiratis look set to shape a global approach to dementia.
Not only will the genetic data from the project help plug the research gap that exists regarding Middle East populations, it could also guide new ways of looking at prevention and treatment. This is because scientists are increasingly exploring genetics to understand what measures could naturally delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. George Vradenburg, founding chairman of the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, told The National that “60 to 65 per cent of dementia can be prevented” by promoting brain health as well as reducing hypertension, diabetes and obesity.
Genetic samples, particularly those from non-Caucasian populations – such as the Emirati genome research – can aid doctors and scientists in identifying a predisposition to disease. Given the prohibitive cost of many advanced dementia treatment drugs – in some cases costing up to $30,000 for a year’s supply – genetic information that proves the effectiveness of prevention measures is crucial.
This collaborative fine-tuning of dementia prevention and treatment could have a societal impact that reaches far beyond one patient’s quality of life. The challenges that increasing dementia pose for advanced economies are compounded when experienced by low or middle-income countries. In such societies, the limited availability of long-term care, the burden faced by informal caregivers and a shortage of trained dementia clinicians all have a widespread and negative effect.
In this battle, intelligence is everything. The fact that a localised study such as the Emirati Genome Programme is coming up with medical evidence that can be used to benefit populations far removed from the UAE is a further validation of the project’s worth. Dementia has been a scourge of humanity for as long as people have lived; the Roman poet Virgil memorably described age as something that “steals away all things, even the mind”. Although a cure is something for future scientists to discover, the type of work seen in the UAE today is bringing that time closer.
