Interview: “Among All Populations In The World, Africans Are Ageing Fastest”

       
        
What are the early signs of ’Alzheimer’s dementia that should warrant consulting a specialist?
Thank you for inviting me to this interview during the World Alzheimer’s Month, which peaked with World Alzheimer’s Day on September 21, 2025. I usually say, “If the brain does not work, the rest does not matter.” Alzheimer’s disease is the most frequent cause of the group of brain diseases called dementias.

Dementias are commonly referred to as memory problems and they come with age, although they are not part of normal ageing. People with dementia usually complain of symptoms such as forgetfulness, difficulties to concentrate at work, and challenges with tasks they used to do normally and efficiently. These symptoms continue to aggravate if nothing is done until they may not be able to recognise family members and friends and may not find their way in the house our compound and get totally lost or appear confused. All their mental or cognitive functions may deteriorate if they don’t consult a specialist to detect them early and intervene.

Why are elderly persons the most affected?
Dementias have several different causes and the brains of people with dementia show different types of structural and functional changes when examined with sophisticated equipment. There are many factors that are associated with these changes and age is one of them. However, it must be emphasized that the changes can start even in young and very young people and as they age, since it is a progressive process, the symptoms become more apparent. 
Genetic as well as environmental factors, including socio-economic and political factors, affect our brain structure and function. My research group at BRAIN, with international colleagues, has just published evidence that among all populations in the world, Africans are ageing fastest, that is our rate of ageing is abnormally fast, even though we are a young population. As mentioned earlier, several factors are responsible for this and we can discuss those at a different time.

Are Cameroonians well sensitised on Alzheimer’s disease?
At BRAIN, we have been working very hard with associations of senior citizens, hospitals, religious bodies, civil society and other stakeholders in Cameroon, and the general public, to sensitize all Cameroonians on dementia and how to prevent dementia. More importantly, we have been educating them to do “brain check-ups” with our competent BRAIN collaborators who can detect those early warning signs and give them specialised advice for care. There is still a lot of work to be done in sensitisation through all media and I thank you for this opportunity in Cameroon Tribune.

How many patients do you receive in your clinical practice in a day?
Dementia as most brain diseases is a very stigmatising condition and few people come to hospital for that. Usually, some patients don’t even realise they have the problem, especially when it just starts. Or when it is already very serious and it may take family members who are worried, to bring them to the hospital. A neurologist may consult a few people with dementia in a month but when we organise special “brain check-up” campaigns as we have been doing this September 2025. My team has been able to detect more than 70 people with mild or serious dementia in just two weeks. 
You can see that the number of people in our cities and villages may be very high, but nobody knows the exact number. We are currently conducting research in several regions of the country to produce the prevalence (number of people living with the disease) and incidence (number of new cases) of dementia in Cameroon. Health authorities need these data in order to put in place effective measures to improve the quality of life of these people.

Is the care for people with Alzheimer’s disease effective in Cameroon?
For the few people with dementia (let me talk generally) who get into the...