LADIES ONLY: Alzheimer's in the DR

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
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One of my jobs is to review other memoirs and I have just read one about Alzheimer's called Joan's Descent into Alzheimer's. It got me thinking as to there is a lot of Alzheimer's and Dementia in the UK but I don't really come across it in the DR. So I checked the data.

In the UK Alzheimer's is the second highest cause of death, number 5 in the world ranking, in the US, it is also the second highest cause and number 8 in the world ranking, in Canada the 2nd as well and 22 in the world ranking but in the DR it is the 1Oth highest cause of death and number 68 in the world. Why?

Out of interest the top 10 causes of death in the DR are: Coronary Heart Disease; Stroke; Prostate Cancer; HIV/AIDS; Violence; Road Traffic Accidents; Diabetes; Flu/Pneumonia; Kidney problems; Alzheimer's.

The UK is Coronary Heart Disease;Alzheimer's; Lung Cancer; Stroke; Lung Disease; Flu; Breast Cancer; Prostate Cancer; Colon Cancer; Liver Disease.

US: Coronary Heart Disease;Alzheimer's; Lung Disease;Lung Cancer; Stroke; Breast Cancer; Diabetes; Flu; Suicide; Prostate Cancer.

Canada; Coronary Heart Disease;Alzheimer's; Lung Cancer; Lung Disease; Stroke; Breast Cancer; Prostate Cancer; Colon Cancer; Suicide; Diabetes.

The data is here http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/canada-alzheimers-dementia. Any body any idea why dementia/Alzheimers is so low here?

Matilda
 

Abuela

Bronze
May 13, 2006
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My theory would be the statistics show most in the DR die by one of the above mentioned diseases or accidents long before Alzheimers symptoms begin the present themselves.
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
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South Coast
I’m wondering if it just isn’t diagnosed, especially outside of Santo Domingo and Santiago. 
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
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My theory would be the statistics show most in the DR die by one of the above mentioned diseases or accidents long before Alzheimers symptoms begin the present themselves.

Not sure about that as the life expectancy in the DR is not far behind the other countries: 77.97 in the DR, ranked 63 in the world; UK 80.54 ranked 33; Canada 80 ranked 40th; USA 79.68 ranked 43.
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
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I’m wondering if it just isn’t diagnosed, especially outside of Santo Domingo and Santiago. 

That is a possibility as I asked Mr. Mat about Alzheimer's and he said not much, but some old people do go crazy as they are old. I have never met anyone with Alzheimer's here and I do know a lot of elderly people.
 

keepcoming

Moderator - Living & General Stuff
May 25, 2011
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My MIL father suffered from Alzheimer's. It was round the clock care, making sure he didn't wander about, etc... Not easy here in the DR especially in the campo. He thought my MIL was his deceased wife (my MIL mother). It started IMO as sundowners, where he was fine during the daytime but as evening came he became confused. Then after a couple of years he went into full Alzheimer's. He died about 18 months after that. Now watching my father go through the same thing. It is a very cruel disease Alzheimer's. As AE said I think most of it is because it is not diagnosed properly in the DR. Many in my MIL's family had other opinions on what her father suffered from. A lot of it is a lack of knowledge about the disease here in the DR.
 

keepcoming

Moderator - Living & General Stuff
May 25, 2011
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IMO, illness such as Alzheimer's, Dementia, etc.. are hard for some to accept and/or understand. Especially those who live in a campo more or less. It is something IMO that is not talked about or widely accepted. In the USA it is rather common amongst the elderly and widely spoken about.
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
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I think there is a possibility that it is less prevalent in the DR, apart from the lack of diagnosis, in that although it appears no one actually knows the cause of Alzheimer's, some things are known to increase it, such as the exposure to chemicals and pesticides, and some to decrease the likelihood of getting it, such as dancing (!!) and lots of social interaction which certainly takes place in the DR with the elderly almost always living as part of the family.

According to this article https://nutritionfacts.org/2015/11/12/where-are-the-lowest-rates-of-alzheimers-in-the-world/ diet also plays a part and the more vegetarian one is the less one is likely to get Alzheimer's and in the campo especially, there is not that much meat eaten.