Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “The risk of Alzheimer’s Diseases increased since the average life span is prolonged”
Within the scope of the Alzheimer's Symposium titled "Living with Alzheimer's” hosted by Üsküdar University, President of Üsküdar University Prof. Tarhan, who made a speech at the symposium, stated that "The risk of having Alzheimer's has increased due to the fact that the average life span has increased." Üsküdar University Head of Neurology Department Prof. Tanrıdağ emphasized that the main risk factor for early onset in Alzheimer's is genetics. Experts in the field discussed many topics such as diagnosis, treatment, legal dimension of Alzheimer's disease, caregiver psychology, rehabilitation, speech and language therapy and the role of nurses.
The "Living with Alzheimer's" Alzheimer's Symposium hosted by Üsküdar University with the main theme of "It Is Neither Too Early for Prevention, Nor Too Late for Intervention!", was held in cooperation with the Kadıköy Branch of the Alzheimer's Association of Türkiye and the Kadıköy Alzheimer's Center and with the support of NPİSTANBUL Hospital.
The opening speeches of the symposium, which was held at Üsküdar University Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall, were made by President of Üsküdar University, Symposium Honorary President Prof. Nevzat Tarhan and Üsküdar University Neurology Department Head and Symposium President Prof. Oğuz Tanrıdağ.
Nevzat Tarhan: "There is a 50 percent risk of Alzheimer's at the age of 85"
In the program in which the relatives of Alzheimer's patients participated, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the subject of Alzheimer's has been discussed more since the 1990s because Alzheimer's is considered as a disease that serves to understand the human brain more, and continued:
"The average age has increased. It used to be 40-60; however, it has now increased to 80. In Türkiye, it has exceeded 80 in women and 77 in men. In such a case, there is a 50 percent risk of Alzheimer's at the age of 85 if the person has a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's due to the fact that the average life is prolonged. There is evidence that 50 percent of everyone who has reached the age of 85 has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. As the average age lengthened, a person could die without Alzheimer's because a person used to pass away at an early age. Now the average age has increased. It increased up to 80, 90. It can be even over 100."
The importance of Alzheimer's has increased
Prof. Tarhan also stated that the anxiety of spending the last days of life well occurs in people and said that "The risk of having Alzheimer's has increased because the average life expectancy has increased. The importance of Alzheimer's has also increased. There has also been an increase in the cost of elderly care in this regard." Prof. Tarhan also pointed out how people will spend their advanced ages in high quality and emphasized the importance of preventive and protective medicine in diseases.
Prof. Tarhan mentioned that what is healthy is the studies aimed at preventing the society from being ill, and he pointed out that the world-famous heart surgeon DeBakey told in his book published in his 90s 'How not to be a heart patient' and said, 'If I had my mind now, I would write this book in my 30s.'
The epigenetic aspect of Alzheimer's is much more
Prof. Tarhan emphasized that Alzheimer's has a genetic aspect; however, the epigenetic aspect is much more and indicated the importance of lifestyle, the way of using the brain and the importance of using the brain actively.
Prof. Tarhan also stated that the brain works with the rule of 'Use it or lose it' and underlined that the brain dries up when not used and the human brain gets sharp as you use it.
"Alzheimer's can be delayed when the brain is constantly being active"
Emphasizing the importance of a person not to have Alzheimer's and to start the measures at an early age to spend the last period of their life well, Prof. Tarhan gave an example from a mathematics professor in the USA and said that it was seen that this person had the disease only with low performance in chess without feeling forgetfulness.
Prof. Tarhan said, "This means that Alzheimer's can be delayed because the brain is used continuously," adding that people who develop and use the frontal lobe very well are not affected much by the structural predisposition in the brain related to Alzheimer's.
Prof. Tarhan, who also gave examples from OCD patients, stated that patients want biological evidence and that uncertainty increases concerns, so it is a part of the treatment to eliminate uncertainty in all kinds of diseases.
"If one takes care of their overall health, they also take good care of their brain"
Prof. Tarhan said: "We also mention how to use the brain correctly in Alzheimer's. With healthy living, the risk of Alzheimer's is minimized. The human brain is not separate from the body either. What is good for the human body is good for the brain and the heart. If one takes care of their overall health, they also take good care of their brain."
Prof. Tarhan also stated that it is the harmful habits that cause diseases and said that "The healthy body starts with the healthy mind, and if a person manages the mind well, they also manage the brain well."
Prof. Oğuz Tanrıdağ: "The main risk factor of early onset in Alzheimer's is genetics"
Prof. Oğuz Tanrıdağ said that the subject that has come to the agenda more recently by stating that it is the age of onset of the disease. Prof. Tanrıdağ also noted that dementia early dementia and senile dementia were defined before the 1900s.
Explaining that Alzheimer's disease was defined as pre-senile dementia in the early 1900s, Prof. Tanrıdağ reminded that the first patient diagnosed was 51 years old and the diagnosis was made by autopsy.
Noting that one of the dementias that often begins before old age is Alzheimer's and that it is one of the genetic mutation diseases, Prof. Tanrıdağ emphasized that the main risk factor of early onset in Alzheimer's is genetic.
Down Syndrome has an early risk of Alzheimer's disease
Prof. Tanrıdağ also stated that there is a risk of early Alzheimer's disease in Down Syndrome and that Alzheimer's disease can start in their brains at the age of 30-40 in Down syndrome.
Prof. Dr. Tanrıdağ gave the example on early-onset Alzheimer's disease of a 13-year-old patient with Down syndrome in the recent years and also said that developmental disorders are effective in early onset patients.
Prof. Tanrıdağ, who stated that a 19-year-old child was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in China, said, that "Alzheimer's disease is generally thought of as a disease of old age."
Super-aged people should also be genetically protected
Prof. Tanrıdağ answered "No" to the question "Does Alzheimer's disease necessarily occur in advanced old age?" and said that "No matter how advanced the age is, Alzheimer's disease may not start at all. We call this super-old age. The super-elderly should also be genetically protected." Stating that lifestyle is also important in not having Alzheimer's, Prof. Tanrıdağ said, "It is very important to stay active, to be social, to think differently and to be positive."
Prof. Nilgün Çınar: "There are 800 thousand Alzheimer's patients in Türkiye"
Head of the Department of Neurology at Maltepe University and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kadıköy Branch of the Alzheimer's Association of Türkiye Prof. Nilgün Çınar made her presentation on "Diagnosis and Treatment in Alzheimer's Disease" within the scope of the program and pointed out the general population increase. Prof. Çınar said that "We see that the elderly population is increasing with the population increase. In fact, the elderly population is increasing faster than other age groups. Accordingly, Alzheimer's disease is also increasing. There are 55 million Alzheimer's patients in the world and 800 thousand in Türkiye."
It is more common in women...
Stating that Alzheimer's disease is more common in women, Çınar said the excess stress burden of caregivers due to the long duration of the disease and the lack of a definitive treatment and pointed out that the costs of care are increasing day by day.
Pointing to risk factors such as age, gender, race, genetics, depression and hearing loss in the development of Alzheimer's disease, Çınar stated that "Infections should also be paid attention to in advanced ages. Neuropsychological tests, neuroimaging techniques and laboratory tests are used in diagnosis. In addition to the drugs used in the past, new FDA-approved drugs have also started to be used in the treatment. Moreover, drugs that have not been approved for the treatment of Alzheimer's can also be used."
Plaque from Prof. Tarhan to guest speaker Prof. Çınar
In the program which was also broadcasted live on ÜÜ TV, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan presented a plaque to Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kadıköy Branch of the Alzheimer's Association of Türkiye Prof. Dr. Nilgün Çınar after her speech.
Those who made speech within the scope of the symposium are as follows: Üsküdar University Institute of Social Sciences Director, Faculty of Medicine Department of Mental Health and Diseases Prof. Gökben Hızlı Sayar with the speech titled 'Alzheimer from the Window of Psychiatry', Türkiye Alzheimer's Association Kadıköy Branch Board Member and Üsküdar University Institute of Social Sciences Instructor Asst. Prof. İdil Arasan Doğan with the speech titled 'Caregiver Psychology in Alzheimer's Disease', Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medical Sciences and Department of Forensic Medicine Prof. Gökhan Oral with the speech titled 'Legal Issues and Evaluation in Alzheimer's Disease', istanbul Arel University Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Instructor Asst. Prof. Kübra Nur Menengiç with the speech titled 'Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation in Alzheimer's Disease', Biruni University Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Asst. Prof. Selin Karalı with the speech titled 'Language and Speech Disorders in Alzheimer's Disease' and Specialist Nurse from Üsküdar University NPİSTANBUL Hospital Melis Kübra Duran with the speech titled 'The Role of Nurse in Alzheimer's Disease'.
Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)