OREANDA-NEWS    Dementia is the most severe manifestation of cognitive impairment. In total, about 50 million people with this disease are registered in the world. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60-70% of all cases of dementia. It is cognitive impairment that is one of the main causes of disability in older people. The development of this disease has a negative impact not only on the elderly patient, but also on his entire environment. 

Cardiovascular diseases and cancer have long been the focus of the healthcare system but the economic losses associated with dementia exceed each of them in volume. According to the WHO, financial losses in the world from dementia amount to 1% of GDP per year. 

There are risk factors for dementia that can be modified. If, for example, age and genetics are not modifiable factors, then the harm from smoking and drinking alcohol can be reduced. According to Russian cardiologist Alexander Rozanov, “smoking cigarettes significantly increases the risk of developing dementia. The effect of alcohol is not so clear - moderate consumption helps prevent dementia, while abuse, on the contrary, increases the risk". 

With smoking, according to doctors, not everything is clear either. Nicotine, by itself, can increase the brain's resistance to harmful substances. Scientific studies show the significant potential of this substance in the development of drugs from Alzheimer's disease. However, all possible positive effect is nullified by the combustion products of tobacco. In this regard, one of the measures for the prevention of dementia may be to switch smokers to smokeless products with a reduced risk, in which there is no burning. 

The main task, according to doctors, is the timely prevention of the progression of the disease to the development of dementia which includes the correction of risk factors, physical and intellectual activity, a Mediterranean diet and drug therapy.