Juvenile Dementia

[nightmare]

37,800 suffer from juvenile dementia

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The number of juvenile dementia patients across the nation is estimated at 37,800, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

Dementia afflicting patients under 65 years old is defined as juvenile dementia. Because the disease hits people in their working prime, the patients often suffer job losses and financial difficulties.

The ministry plans to place officials in charge of supporting these patients in various parts of the country starting next fiscal year. It also plans to step up efforts to help the patients find jobs and set up consultation counters.

The ministry conducted the survey from fiscal years 2006 to 2008 in Ehime, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kumamoto and Toyama prefectures. It asked about 12,000 medical and other institutions dementia patients likely would use about whether they had treated any juvenile dementia patients, and what disease had caused the symptoms. Researchers also interviewed 87 patients' families about their experience living with a juvenile dementia sufferer.

The survey found about 2,000 juvenile dementia patients in the five prefectures. Extrapolating from that figure, the research team estimated there are about 37,800 juvenile dementia patients nationwide.
(Mar. 21, 2009)

[Jabe]

Dementia is a terrible disease. I hope that researchers will find a cure. It's not only bad for the affected ones but for the whole family. I read that there is hope because of immunizations or medicines which showed positive results but the developement will probably take a long time.