SAUDI ARABIA-ALZHEIMER CONFERENCE Riyadh holds the second international conference on Alzheimer disease

Record ID: 189556

  • Title: SAUDI ARABIA-ALZHEIMER CONFERENCE Riyadh holds the second international conference on Alzheimer disease
  • Date: 25th November 2014
  • Summary: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (NOVEMBER 24, 2014) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** AUDIENCE AND OFFICIALS STANDING FOR SAUDI NATIONAL ANTHEM AT THE OPENING OF THE SECOND CONFERENCE ON ALZHEIMER DISEASE CLOSE OF PRINCE AHMED BIN ABDULAZIZ
  • Embargoed: 10th December 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Saudi Arabia
  • Country: Saudi Arabia
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA151ZJBA1II7N1611UAVRADKL
  • Story Text: The Saudi capital of Riyadh is holding the second conference on Alzheimer disease, featuring the participation of local and international experts.
    The three-day event, which kicked off on Monday (November 25), is organised by the Saudi Society for Alzheimer's Patients, and is held under the patronage of Prince Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz.
    The event is expected to discuss the international developments in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer as well as presenting educational programmes for caregivers.
    Mohammed al-Suwaiyel, President of King Abdulazuiz City for Science and Technology, said Saudi Arabia is taking the necessary measures to control the costs of the disease.
    "The Kingdom has adopted medical technologies among other advanced technologies in the overall strategy of the National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation. It aims to curb the cost burden of the disease and controls the growing expenses of health care, which represents 4% of GDP in the Kingdom," said al-Suwaiyel.
    The battle against Alzheimer's has been long and frustrating. Global cases of dementia are expected to treble by 2050, yet scientists are still struggling to understand its basic biology and drug development is littered with failures.
    Robert Daroff, Professor in Neurology at Case Western Reserve University in the United States, said it was important to try and help alleviate the disease symptoms even if there is still no treatment that can stop its progression.
    Dementia, of which Alzheimer's is the most common form, already affects 44 million people worldwide and that number is set to reach 135 million by 2050, according to Alzheimer's Disease International, a non-profit campaign group.
    "Unfortunately there is no cure or really good treatment for Alzheimer's disease, but what we do have is the way to optimally care for a patient with Alzheimer disease, the proper ways of doing it and the way to do that is to train physicians, nurses and care givers in the best way to develop, to care for patients with the disease," he said.
    Fahad al-Wahabi from the conference's Scientific Committee called on the government to present accurate figures on Alzheimer patients in the Kingdom.
    "World figures show that about 5% of the elderly people suffer from Alzheimer disease," al-Wahabi said. "We expect that the number of those diagnosed with the disease in Saudi Arabia are in the tens of thousands of people," he added.
    The first edition of the international conference on Alzheimer disease was also held in Saudi Arabia. It took place in February 2012 in the capital Riyadh.
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