Four out of every five elderly people in Brazil have undiagnosed dementia; understand

Four out of every five elderly Brazilians live with dementia, without ever receiving a formal medical diagnosis. The information comes from research conducted by scholars from Unifesp (Federal University of São Paulo) with the participation of 5,249 people, followed by the Longitudinal Study of the Health of Brazilian Elderly People (ELSI-Brazil).

The high rate of underreporting had already been highlighted by a survey carried out by the National Report on Dementia in 2024, by the Ministry of Health. The recent research, published in the scientific journal International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, confirmed that 83.1% of participants live with a neurological condition and had no previous diagnosis.

The study also highlights inequalities based on region and socioeconomic status. The occurrences of the condition were more common among illiterate people (93.9%) and residents of poorer regions (90.2%). In the richest regions of the country, the percentage of lack of diagnosis was around 76%.

The Ministry of Health estimates that, currently, 2.5 million Brazilians live with dementia. Considering the underreporting identified by the study, 2 million of them have not yet been counted. The estimate is that, by 2050, the number could triple and could represent one of the biggest challenges for the healthcare system in the coming years.

The authors of the article argue that accurate diagnosis is essential for adequate clinical management, allowing better planning for patients and families. Dementia is an irreversible condition, but, if diagnosed early, it can be mitigated by combining treatment with medication to stabilize cognition and control symptoms, with non-pharmacological therapies.

They highlight that difficulties in accessing the healthcare system and lack of preparation of some professionals are among factors aggravating underreporting, which they understand as a cultural issue in diagnostic medicine. "Cognitive decline is understood as an expected consequence of aging", they warn. According to the researchers, vision contributes to late or missed diagnoses.

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Source: CNN