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NT Bureau
Chennai, Oct 1:
 

Governor Surjit Singh Barnala presenting the Commemoration Award to Professor Akira Homma, president, Asian Society Against Dementia, at a conference in Chennai yesterday. Also seen are Professor J M Orgogozo, chairman, IWG, Harmonisation of Dementia Trials, Dr Krishnamoorthy Srinivas, Dr E S Krishnamoorthy and Murugappa group director A Vellayan.

        Governor Surjit Singh Barnala urged the medical fraternity to tackle the interface between dementia (mental deterioration of organic function due to ageing) and stroke (sudden loss of consciousness due to rupture of blood vessels in the brain, cutting of oxygen supply) as these two cerebrovascular disorders comprised the majority of chronic disabilities in the elderly persons.

        He was presiding over as the chief guest at the awards ceremony of Frontiers of Dementia Care and Research in which the 13th Congress of the Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI) and the inaugural meet of the Asian Society Against Dementia (ASAD) were held concurrently on the IIT-Madras campus yesterday. 'Lifestyle diseases like heart diseases, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure need to be treated at the beginning itself. All these conditions are risk factors for both dementia and stroke which cause disabilities in the elderly population. The interface between these two disorders is of particular interest to those living in Asia as we grapple with an explosion of risk factors and increasing longevity,' Barnala said.

        Lauding the role of VHS Hospital in the sphere of neurosciences, the Governor said the multispeciality clinic had played a commendable part in medicare with education and skill development for rehabilitation. He also noted the good work being done by the M V Arunachalam Centre for Information and Education in Neurosciences (MVA-CIEN) in educating the public through its medical programmes.

        Earlier, M V Subbiah, trustee, Vellayan Chettiar Trust and former chairman Murugappa group, said the break-up of joint family system had lead to the spurt of dementia among the elderly people in recent times. He noted the MVA-CIEN set up by the trust was providing counselling sessions and support services to the patients with neurological disorders which was received well by the larger public. In his welcome address, A Vellayan director and vice-chairman of Murugappa group said the trust would continue its support the endeavour of Dr Krishnamoorthy Srinivas, chairman, Institute of Neurological Sciences at the VHS, in the field of education and research. He said the MVA centre was active in educating the patients with dementia and epilepsy, besides spreading awareness on neurological disorders in the society.

        Governor presented awards to Professor Jean Marc Orgogozo, chairman, international working group on the Harmonisation of Dementia Trials (M V Arunachalam Endowment Award); Dr Jacob Roy, chairman ARDSI (Lifetime Achievement honour from Neurosciences India Group); and Professor Akira Homma, president, ASAD (Commemoration Award for the Asian Congress).

        Tackle risk factors

        Delivering the fifth M V Arunachalam endowment lecture, Orgogozo said a temporal relationship was established between cerebrovascular disorders (CVDs) and dementia which occurred in the elderly through sudden onset or gradual progress. 'Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) without dementia had high rate of death or followed by dementia, even as VCI had become common like Alzheimer's disease. But CVDs could be identified through neuroimaging (MRI or CT) or neurologic diagnosis at the initial stage itself,' he said.

        Stroke affected nearly 50 million people in the world, out of which 15 - 18 million suffered from VaD — vascular dementia. 'Hospital-based studies have estimated the prevalence of dementia within first year of stroke between 9 - 20 per cent of patients across the world. But genetic disposition, lifestyle and dietary habits impact the occurrence of dementia,' he explained. Citing the studies in Japan and Asia-Pacific region, Orgogozo said VaD accounted for nearly half the cases of dementia in this part of the world. Also, CVDs were common factors leading to dementia in Japan and other Asian countries.

        He concluded his lecture with the focus on the need for identification and prevention of the risk factors (and causes) for VaD and VCI which led to cognitive loss and behaviour change in the elderly population. Professor Krishnamoorthy Srinivas and Dr E S Krishnamoorthy, director, Institute of Neurological Sciences, VHS, also spoke on the occasion.

        The M V Arunachalam oration and the ARDSI Congress were organised by the Institute of Neurological Sciences, VHS and the Neurosciences India Group, an online network for physicians in the country.