City’s aging population gets Alzheimer’s clinic

Mangaluru: For a city that is relatively young with just 10% of its overall population above 60 years, Mangaluru is getting its first Alzheimer’s Clinic. The clinic was inaugurated at the KMC Hospital on Thursday.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a group of disorders that impairs mental functions. There is one new case of dementia worldwide every three seconds.

Dr Keshava Pai, head of the psychiatry department at the KMC Hospital, says decline in short-term memory is the most common early symptom of dementia. Currently there is no cure for this disease. “About 10% of the city’s population is above 60 years and they make up for about 50% of patients visiting any OPD today,” he said.

Although a major hub for medical tourism, specialized health care services devoted to the care of elderly are sparse in the city. Elderly patients often have multiple diseases and large number of medications; memory deficits and early signs of dementia in them often get ignored during routine evaluation. Currently available treatments can slow down progression of the disease in some cases for six to 18 months, Dr Pai said.

Alzheimer’s clinic at KMC consists of various investigations and offers comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) by panel of consultants that includes geriatric specialist, psychiatrist and psycho-social consultation. CGA is a method used to perform a holistic evaluation of an elderly person, Dr Sheetal Raj, geriatric specialist says. Call: Health check lounge on 9448254700 at KMC Hospital Ambedkar Circle.