Rising incidence of depression in Gurgaon appears to be contributing to cases of memory loss
Gurgaon, 30th January 2017: Increasing incidence of depression among residents of Gurgaon seems to be one of the main causes of memory loss and dementia in the city, a special analysis of the first 100 cases seen by Paras Hospital’s Dementia Clinic, has indicated.
The Dementia Clinic which was started by Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon, 7 months ago, has seen 100 cases in this short span of time. It is the only dementia clinic in a private hospital in the city.
At a press conference today in association with ‘Great Times’ by Samvendana , Senior Citizen Club, Gurgaon, the Dementia Clinic of Paras Hospitals released the findings of its analysis of the first 100 cases and the results throw up some notable facts.
The most important among the findings is that Gurgaon is witnessing a rising incidence of depression, which in turn is also driving memory loss among patients. Another key finding suggests that the main reason for dementia in Gurgaon is Lewy Body Dementia. Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) is the second-most common cause of degenerative dementia worldwide after Alzeihmer’s Disease, but it appears to be most common in our setting.
“It is a sad fact that more and more people living in Gurgaon are affected by dementia. Apart from treating patients, we are also performing a medical analysis to determine the causes, most important factors and circumstances driving dementia in our suburb. Out of the 100 cases of dementia seen by us so far, 22 were caused by LBD, 12 were due to Alzheimer’s Disease, and 19 were due to depression. LBD symptoms can closely resemble other more commonly known diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and it is currently widely underdiagnosed,” said Dr Vijay Chandra, Dementia Specialist, Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon.
LBD is a multisystem disease and typically requires a comprehensive treatment approach. This approach involves a team of physicians from different specialties who collaborate to provide optimum treatment of each symptom without worsening other LBD symptoms.
“It is important to look for early signs of dementia so that one can engage the patient in mind stimulation activities to delay the onset of the disease. We provide counselling services for dementia management and run a memory clinic and support group for caregivers from Sector 57, Gurgaon. Our staff comprises psychologists and social workers,” says Archana Sharma, founder, Samvedna Senior Care.
The positive takeaway from the study is that more people are coming forward to seek medical help at an early stage to address dementia. The number of cases of Mild Cognitive Impairment suggests that patients are seeking help earlier in the disease process.
With educated caregiving from family members and timely medical intervention, a range of symptoms related to dementia can be controlled to a considerable extent. Several caregivers, including Arun Roy (whose wife is suffering from dementia) and Rahul (whose mother is suffering for dementia) were present at today’s press conference, and shared positive stories of successfully coping with the condition.
“Dementia usually introduces endless challenges and concerns to not only the person diagnosed, but their family members and social life, as it changes the person’s personality and behaviour. In such a scenario, the role of family caregivers (often known as the invisible patients) becomes all the more critical to the quality of life of those diagnosed with the problem. At our Dementia Clinic, we focus on reducing the burden on the person suffering, the caregiver, and society itself,” says Dr Chandra.