TY - JOUR
T1 - Dementia in Latin America Assessing the present and envisioning the future
AU - Parra, Mario A.
AU - Baez, Sandra
AU - Allegri, Ricardo
AU - Nitrini, Ricardo
AU - Lopera, Francisco
AU - Slachevsky, Andrea
AU - Custodio, Nilton
AU - Lira, David
AU - Piguet, Olivier
AU - Kumfor, Fiona
AU - Huepe, David
AU - Cogram, Patricia
AU - Bak, Thomas
AU - Manes, Facundo
AU - Ibanez, Agustin
N1 - Funding Information:
The Expert Meeting was supported by Alzheimer’s Society UK grants awarded to M.A.P. in collaboration with A.I. (AS-R42303, AS-SF-14-008). The Article Processing Charge was funded by CONICYT-Fondecyt Regular N°1170010.
Funding Information:
M. Parra, S. Baez, R. Allegri, and R. Nitrini report no disclosures relevant to the manuscript. F. Lopera is supported by a grant API COLOMBIA funded by GENENTECH and Banner Institute. A. Slachevsky is supported by CONICYT/ FONDAP /15150012, Conicyt/Fondecyt Regular/1140423, and Basal Funds for Centers of Excellence, Project FB 0003 from the Associative Research Program of CONICYT. N. Custodio and D. Lira report no disclosures relevant to the manuscript. O. Piguet is supported by an NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (APP1103258); support from Alzheimer’s Scotland Dementia Research and the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology part of the cross-council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Initiative (MR/ K026992/1), both from the University of Edinburgh, is also acknowledged. F. Kumfor is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC)– Australian Research Council Dementia Research Development Fellowship (APP1097026). D. Huepe, P. Cogram, T. Bak, and F. Manes report no disclosures relevant to the manuscript. A. Ibanez is partially supported by grants from CONICET, CONICYT/FONDECYT Regular (1170010), FONCyT-PICT 2012-0412, FONCyT-PICT 2012-1309, FONDAP 15150012, INECO Foundation, and the Inter-American Development Bank. Go to Neurology.org/N for full disclosures.
Funding Information:
The Article Processing Charge was funded by CONICYT-Fondecyt Regular 1170010.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Academy of Neurology.
PY - 2018/1/30
Y1 - 2018/1/30
N2 - The demographic structure of Latin American countries (LAC) is fast approaching that of developing countries, and the predicted prevalence of dementia in the former already exceeds the latter. Dementia has been declared a global challenge, yet regions around the world show differences in both the nature and magnitude of such a challenge. This article provides evidence and insights on barriers which, if overcome, would enable the harmonization of strategies to tackle the dementia challenge in LAC. First, we analyze the lack of available epidemiologic data, the need for standardizing clinical practice and improving physician training, and the existing barriers regarding resources, culture, and stigmas. We discuss how these are preventing timely care and research. Regarding specific health actions, most LAC have minimal mental health facilities and do not have specific mental health policies or budgets specific to dementia. In addition, local regulations may need to consider the regional context when developing treatment and prevention strategies. The support needed nationally and internationally to enable a smooth and timely transition of LAC to a position that integrates global strategies is highlighted. We focus on shared issues of poverty, cultural barriers, and socioeconomic vulnerability. We identify avenues for collaboration aimed to study unique populations, improve valid assessment methods, and generate opportunities for translational research, thus establishing a regional network. The issues identified here point to future specific actions aimed at tackling the dementia challenge in LAC.
AB - The demographic structure of Latin American countries (LAC) is fast approaching that of developing countries, and the predicted prevalence of dementia in the former already exceeds the latter. Dementia has been declared a global challenge, yet regions around the world show differences in both the nature and magnitude of such a challenge. This article provides evidence and insights on barriers which, if overcome, would enable the harmonization of strategies to tackle the dementia challenge in LAC. First, we analyze the lack of available epidemiologic data, the need for standardizing clinical practice and improving physician training, and the existing barriers regarding resources, culture, and stigmas. We discuss how these are preventing timely care and research. Regarding specific health actions, most LAC have minimal mental health facilities and do not have specific mental health policies or budgets specific to dementia. In addition, local regulations may need to consider the regional context when developing treatment and prevention strategies. The support needed nationally and internationally to enable a smooth and timely transition of LAC to a position that integrates global strategies is highlighted. We focus on shared issues of poverty, cultural barriers, and socioeconomic vulnerability. We identify avenues for collaboration aimed to study unique populations, improve valid assessment methods, and generate opportunities for translational research, thus establishing a regional network. The issues identified here point to future specific actions aimed at tackling the dementia challenge in LAC.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85045008892&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004897
DO - 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004897
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85045008892
SN - 0028-3878
VL - 90
SP - 222
EP - 231
JO - Neurology
JF - Neurology
IS - 5
ER -