Bragança an aging district and neurodegenerative diseases
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abstract
The territory is considered
low density due to criteria
related to demographic,
economic, urban,
institutional and relational
aspects [2]. The total
number of elderly people in
the district is 124121 [4]. A
marked loss of population
and a continuous and
marked aging has occurred
in this district. To compare the aging index
in Bragança district with the
national one and identify
the most prevalent
neurodegenerative diseases
in the district. Descriptive statistics were
used to synthesize the
demographic data collected
from INE [3] and the
epidemiological ones of
neurodegenerative diseases
active diagnoses provided by
the Northeast Local Health
Unit [5].
The territory is considered low density due to
criteria related to demographic, economic, urban, institutional
and relational aspects [2]. The total number of elderly people in
the district is 124121 [4]. A marked loss of population and a
continuous and marked aging has occurred in this district.
Objectives: To compare the aging index in Bragança district with
the national one and identify the most prevalent
neurodegenerative diseases in the district. Methods: Descriptive
statistics were used to synthesize the demographic data collected
from INE [3] and the epidemiological ones of neurodegenerative
diseases active diagnoses provided by the Northeast Local Health
Unit [5]. Results: Bragança's district aging index is very high in
Bragança (221) and alarmingly very high in less populated
municipalities such as Vinhais (615,4) and Torre de Moncorvo
(476,5) [4]. To what neurodegenerative diseases active diagnoses
concern, it was possible to verify that they have a considerable
expression in the territory with 1596 cases of Dementia, 659 of
Parkinson's and 78 of Multiple Sclerosis [5]. Discussion and
Conclusion: Neurodegenerative diseases increase with age, as
they do at the European level[1] as well as they interfere both with
quality of life of the patient and the family with high social costs.
In this region there is also the difficulty in accessing health care
and social support for families, as they are few or nonexistent.
