The country is facing a coming wave of dementia for its ageing population, and is investing in research into drugs, diagnostics and even surgery to prepare itself.
Alzheimer’s disease is about to become a big problem for China. Nearly 30% of all people with the condition or related forms of dementia already live in the country. And with its ageing population and falling birth rate, the burden on health and social welfare is expected to multiply dramatically in the coming decades.
The Chinese government has responded with programmes and funding that are aimed at improving screening, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease by 2030. And the research has started to take off.
Scientists have been working on new drugs and innovative — if controversial — surgical techniques. The government has also encouraged the development of drugs derived from traditional Chinese medicine. And researchers are accelerating the search for biological markers that precede the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, including genetic contributors, which could explain how the condition develops and reveal the best way to identify it early.
Read the full story: China is waging war on Alzheimer’s. What can its approach teach the rest of the world? (Nature)