Analysis of Rising Dementia Prevalence in the UK: Etiology and Impact

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TOPIC
RISING PREVALENCE OF DEMENTIA IN UK AND THE ETIOLOGY BEHIND THE
DISEASE
Contents
TOPIC........................................................................................................................................................1
RISING PREVALENCE OF DEMENTIA IN UK AND THE ETIOLOGY BEHIND THE....................1
CHAPTER 1..............................................................................................................................................2
1.0 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................2
1.1 OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS OF TH TERMS........................................................................................2
1.2 BACKGROUND...................................................................................................................................3
1.3 STATEMENT PROBLEM......................................................................................................................4
AIM..........................................................................................................................................................4
OBJECTIVES..............................................................................................................................................4
RESEARCH QUESTIONS............................................................................................................................5
1.4 JUSTIFICATION...................................................................................................................................5
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE....................................................................................................................................5
1.6 SUMMARY.........................................................................................................................................6
LITERATURE REVIEW...........................................................................................................................6
METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................................................7
TIMELINE..................................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................8
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CHAPTER 1
1.0 INTRODUCTION
This chapter introduces the topic of the research and tries to implicate better
understanding for the terms and concepts that are being described in the study. The
chapter focuses on clearly identifying the aims and objectives of the research based on
which the research questions are framed. The topic for the study is identified and
motivated by a certain idea the chapter also indicated the purpose of this research and
the scope of the research in future clinical practice. The chapter also explains the
significance of the study as well described the justification of choosing this field for
research. The key terms will be defined appropriately for better understanding and the
problem statement with support to the literature and background to the research are
provided in the section below.
1.1 OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS OF TH TERMS
Dementia
Dementia is defined as a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by the
forgetfulness and cognitive impairments. It is closely associated with the Alzheimer’s
disease and mostly prevalent in the elder population.
Prevalence
The prevalence of a certain disease or characteristic is referred to as its presence in a
particular population at a given duration of time.
Etiology
Etiology is defined as the causative factor of a disease. In simpler terms it is defined as
the reason for the cause of a disease or an illness.
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1.2 BACKGROUND
Dementia is a neurological condition that declines mental and cognitive abilities. The
disorder is characterized by forgetfulness, reduced cognitive abilities, behaviour
modifications, change in thinking and thought process etc. (Prince et al., 2014). It is
estimated that about 850,000 people in UK are suffering and being diagnosed with
dementia (Robinson, Tang and Taylor., 2015). As well globally this issue has risen to
engulf around 46.8 million people worldwide as per the estimated rates in 2015 and
these rates were estimated to rise to 50 million till 2019 (Livingston et al., 2017). The
statistics show how the disease is increasing at an alarming rate. The disorder affects
people of diverse age groups including their 30s, 40s, and 50s and even older than 60s.
It is also seen that the people suffering from dementia are 61% females that show
predisposition of the disease towards this gender (Luengo-Fernandez et al., 2015). In
the UK alone the rates for dementia patients are increasing every year and there has
been rise by 56% from the year 2011 to 2016 (Luengo-Fernandez et al., 2015). This
increasing prevalence of dementia in the UK has raised concerns among the health and
social care sector that what is the cause and aetiology behind such a drastic increase in
the newly diagnosed cases of dementia in the UK. It is also seen that the UK population
is ageing rapidly and it is said that dementia is most common in elder population as well
the survey shows that dementia will affect around 1.2 million people in the UK till 2050
and most of the people will be above 60 years of age (Luengo-Fernandez et al., 2015).
This rapid growth of disease in this region is affecting its economy as well as the
services. It is essential to identify the chief causes of the increasing prevalence of
disease in the UK.
According to Matthews et al (2013), the prevalence of dementia in Europe and mainly in
parts of England and UK has increased over past few decades. The authors studied the
three studied from England that were beneficial in identifying the cause of increasing
prevalence of disease in England. 7635 people of 65 years and older age were
interviewed. 1457 of which were diagnostically assessed. 8.3% of the population from
this was subject of at risk for developing dementia and people who are of less age or
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are born late had less prevalence and risk towards the disease. The interpretations of
the study identified that the age played a major role in prevalence of dementia in the
UK. As the majority of the population in England and Whales is above 60 years the
prevalence rates are increasing annually and there is increase in overall incidence rate
of the disease in the nation (Robinson, Tang and Taylor., 2015). Thou it is seen that
there are other factors too that are responsible for the increasing prevalence of
dementia in the UK. This study is focused on identifying these factors that are
responsible for increasing prevalence of disease as well as highlighting the strategies
that can help in control and reduction of the prevalence rate in the UK.
1.3 STATEMENT PROBLEM
While searching relevant literature it was identified that the literature present has not
successfully analyzed the cause of the increasing prevalence of disease. Most of the
literature focused on the aetiology of dementia and others included the impact of
dementia on the quality of life of the individuals. This gap in the literature that
overlooked the cause of increasing prevalence will be filled in this study that aims at
studying the cause of the increase in prevalence rates of dementia in the UK (Lewis et
al., 2014). It is essential for the health and social care sector in the UK to realize and
identify the cause of the increasing prevalence of this disorder so that new strategy can
be devised to reduce the prevalence of dementia and increase the prevention of this
disease with better health promotion and care.
AIM
The aim of the study is to critically analyze the cause of the increasing prevalence of
dementia in the UK.
OBJECTIVES
To be able to evaluate the increasing prevalence of dementia in the UK
To analyze the cause of the increasing prevalence of dementia in the UK
To evaluate the economic burden of disease on the economy of the nation
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RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Broad question
What is the cause of increasing prevalence of dementia in UK and how does this impact
the quality of life of an individual?
Narrow questions
1. What are the prevalence rates of dementia in UK?
2. What is the chief cause of rising prevalence of dementia in UK?
3. How does dementia impact the quality of life of an individual?
1.4 JUSTIFICATION
Dementia is one of the most common conditions seen nowadays in aging population. Its
prevalence is rising with an alarming rate that has bought it to the concern in the health
and social care sector. The annual burden of disease on the economy of the nation and
health care sector both are increasing that has led to focus on the disease prevention
rather than cure. The motivation to research this topic was extracted from the statistics
that were presented while searching and surfing for the topic of research showing
immense burden of disease on the economy of the UK. It is essential to research this
topic as it will provide new insight and information for the strategies that are currently
working for prevention and management of dementia in the UK (Robinson, Tang and
Taylor., 2015). Also the scope for this research is great as it will enable to fill the gaps in
literature that are present regarding analyzing the cause and etiology of increasing
prevalence of dementia in the UK. This topic will enhance the knowledge for the health
issue chosen as well as help the health and social care sector to work on current
scenario to reduce the rates of incidence and provide better care to the patients
suffering from it to enhance their quality of life.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE
The topic of this research is selected due to its scope in future and its validity and
priority in the health and social care in the UK. The dementia is a leading cause of
mental health issue sin elderly patients and this deteriorates their quality of life. Variety
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of researches focused on researching the prevalence rate of dementia as well as the
interventions for the disease but there is limited literature on how the dementia is
becoming so prevalent in the UK population and the cause of its increasing incidence in
the society. The research will firstly benefit the researcher by enhancing his knowledge
and information regarding the health concern chosen. It will help the government and
the policy makers to focus on the areas for betterment of the dementia population and
work in order to promote better health and prevention for this disorder.
1.6 SUMMARY
This chapter deals with introducing the topic of the research and providing proper
outline for the research. The aims and objectives of the study are clearly demarcated
and a brief background with literature evidence is provided to make the reader
understand the topic. The Next chapter will focus on the review of key literature for the
given topic in order to provide better evidences and supporting statements for the claim
and hypothesis that framed the research question.
LITERATURE REVIEW
According to the study by Lewis et al (2014) the prevalence of dementia in UK is rising
but it follows certain trend. The objective of the study was to examine the cause of
increasing prevalence of dementia in UK. The study identified that one of the major risk
factor for dementia is age and as the elder population above 60 years are increasing in
UK the prevalence rate of dementia in UK is also increasing with it. Also the rates are
estimated to get doubled over next 25 years as the ageing population in UK is
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increasing. The recommendations were made for early onset detection and screening of
dementia where if the onset of dementia is significantly reduced by two years the
prevalence rates can be managed to be 19% less than the estimated rate. The study is
credible as it has authentic and valid facts related to dementia in UK. Also it accounts to
be beneficial for this study as it provides clarity on the current scenario of dementia in
UK.
METHODOLOGY
Research method according to Silverman is defined as the process of collecting
information and data in order to evaluating it for making the research conclusion.
Research method can be divided as per the study design, data collection method and
the data analysis method. The research methodology used in this research is
descriptive secndary qualitative method. Descriptive study design is the one which
deals with observing and describing the behavior of the subject (Pathak, Jena and
Kalra., 2013). Secondary data will be collected using a literature review. The data will
then be analyzed using qualitative data analysis method that will help in evaluating the
subjective and non-numerical data to conclude the findings (Ritchie et al., 2013).
TIMELINE
Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
Week
5
Week
6
Week
7
Week
8
Topic selection
and approval
Research
proposal
Proposal
refinement
Literature review
Determination of
methodology
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Literature review
Data analysis
Findings
Results
Final report
REFERENCES
Prince, M., Knapp, M., Guerchet, M., McCrone, P., Prina, M., Comas-Herrera, A.,
Wittenberg, R., Adelaja, B., Hu, B., King, D. and Rehill, A., 2014. Dementia UK: -
overview.
Robinson, L., Tang, E. and Taylor, J.P., 2015. Dementia: timely diagnosis and early
intervention. Bmj, 350, p.h3029.
Livingston, G., Sommerlad, A., Orgeta, V., Costafreda, S.G., Huntley, J., Ames, D.,
Ballard, C., Banerjee, S., Burns, A., Cohen-Mansfield, J. and Cooper, C., 2017.
Dementia prevention, intervention, and care. The Lancet, 390(10113), pp.2673-2734.
Luengo-Fernandez, R., Leal, J. and Gray, A., 2015. UK research spend in 2008 and
2012: comparing stroke, cancer, coronary heart disease and dementia. BMJ open, 5(4),
p.e006648.
Lewis, F., Karlsberg Schaffer, S., Sussex, J., O'Neill, P. and Cockcroft, L., 2014. The
trajectory of dementia in the UK-making a difference. Office of Health Economics
Consulting Reports.
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Ritchie, J., Lewis, J., Nicholls, C.M. and Ormston, R. eds., 2013. Qualitative research
practice: A guide for social science students and researchers. sage.
Pathak, V., Jena, B. and Kalra, S., 2013. Qualitative research. Perspectives in clinical
research, 4(3).
Matthews, F.E., Arthur, A., Barnes, L.E., Bond, J., Jagger, C., Robinson, L., Brayne, C.
and Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Collaboration, 2013. A
two-decade comparison of prevalence of dementia in individuals aged 65 years and
older from three geographical areas of England: results of the Cognitive Function and
Ageing Study I and II. The Lancet, 382(9902), pp.1405-1412.
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