Forgetfulness affecting daily life should be taken seriously

Şahin, who stated that it is not right for forgetfulness to become normal after a certain age, said, "It is thought that dementia in old people is normal. This is a situation that exists in almost all societies. In recent years, with the efforts of Alzheimer's associations, this perception has decreased a little. But it still exists."

Şahin, who stated that people with forgetfulness problems neglect to apply to clinics and that medication incompatibilities are observed in patients who are diagnosed, noted the following:

"They often do not use medication or if they do, they stop. However, these medications need to be used for life. This is the case in almost all societies. 30-40 percent of diagnosed patients use their medication until the end. At some point, they stop taking their medication. This is not appropriate. When it comes to protection, there is no 100 percent protective factor. Being social, paying attention to what we eat and drink, reading and writing, and having hobbies are protective factors. If there are other diseases, such as hypertension or diabetes, managing them well and using the medications properly can protect against these diseases or make the symptoms milder."

Şahin said that some drugs have been used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease since the early 2000s, but the effects of these drugs are limited.

Stating that two drugs have recently been approved in the United States, Şahin continued as follows:

"These were drugs that had the potential to stop the disease by directly targeting the pathophysiology of the disease. But these drugs in particular gave very good results in animal studies, but they did not give such good results when applied to humans. The FDA (American Food and Drug Administration) approved these drugs. Their effectiveness rate is around 30 percent. They are a bit expensive drugs. But when they are first used, they are expensive. It is foreseeable that these prices will decrease as other drugs are released over time. There are many studies being conducted on this subject. There are PHASE 2 and PHASE 3 studies that we are participating in as a center. We are in the middle of these studies. The drug with a 30 percent success rate was released in America. As far as I know, a company in Türkiye applied to the Ministry. We are waiting for their results. Of course, the price is very high, and the effectiveness is around 30 percent. I do not know if it will be approved."

Active life is good for both the brain and the heart

Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Alparslan Şahin, made suggestions for protection against Alzheimer's disease and said, "The shortest way is that what is good for our heart is also good for our brain. Eating foods with low cholesterol content, following a Mediterranean diet, doing sports, being socially active. Attending meetings, participating in sports activities, going to concerts are very good for the brain. It would be good if you do this at the earliest. If you start in your 60s-70s, it does not do much. If you start much younger, in your 20s, even earlier, your protection is greater. Omega 3, ginkgo biloba, walnuts, some spices, these have no benefit. These have been studied a lot and tested on thousands of people."

"Having it in the family increases the risk"

Emphasizing that every forgetfulness should be taken into consideration, Şahin noted the following:

"Not every forgetfulness is a start of dementia, but every forgetfulness should be evaluated, it could be dementia. After that evaluation, examination, you can say it is dementia or not. But every forgetfulness should be taken seriously and a doctor should definitely be visited. Having it in the family increases the risk. Genetic transmission is approximately 3-5 percent, but even if it is not passed on through genes, if there is an Alzheimer's patient in the family, especially if there is one in your parents, first-degree relatives, your probability increases twice as much as those who do not have Alzheimer's in their family."

Underlining that when forgetfulness starts to affect daily life, one should definitely see a doctor, Şahin said, "Everyone forgets small things. This does not negatively affect our daily life. However, when it starts to affect or if our close circle is aware of our forgetfulness and they observe it, one should definitely see a doctor without delay."

Şahin added that chronic insomnia, poor nutrition and harmful habits do not cause dementia but increase the risk.