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allied

academies

13

th

International Conference on

Alzheimers Disease and Dementia

November 25-26, 2019 | Frankfurt, Germany

Journal of Psychology and Cognition | Volume: 04

J Psychol Cognition, Volume: 04

Dementia situation and clinical trials in China

Jianping Jia

Capital Medical University, China

China has the largest population with dementia in the

world, imposing a heavy burden on the public. The number

of dementia patients in China accounts for approximately

25% of the entire dementia population worldwide,1

creating a huge challenge for policy makers, healthcare

professionals and family members.

Over the last decade, many studies have focused on the

prevalence of dementia in the Chinese population Two

large-sample multi-region studies across China were

conducted in 20142 and 20193 and revealed that the

prevalence rates of dementia were 5•14% (4•71-5•57%)

and 5•60% (3•50-7•60%), respectively, for individuals

≥65 years of age. The latest Global Burden of Disease

study in 2019 showed that the age-standardised dementia

prevalence increased by 5•6% in China from 1990 to 2016,

while the global prevalence increased by 1•7%.1 The

increasing trend may be partly due to extended lifespan

and progress in the diagnostic criteria, which have resulted

in an increased number of elderly people and a higher

diagnostic rate for dementia patients, respectively.

Currently, the number of dementia patients in China is

estimatedtobe10-11millionor9-10millionamongindividuals

aged ≥60 or ≥65 years, respectively;4,5 more than 60% of

these patients have AD, and approximately 70%-80% of these

AD patients have not received treatment.6 Although VaD

patients constitute the second largest dementia population

in China (2.49 million people ≥65 years), no treatment data

for this population are available. China has approximately

11•8 million stroke patients, 9•5 million of whom have

experienced post-stroke cognitive impairments.7,8 Overall,

China is estimated to have approximately 31 million MCI

patients, with MCI-A accounting for more than 9 million.9

Taken together, China currently has approximately 50 million

individuals suffering from dementia and MCI. This enormous

patient population has a large negative impact on society,

which should be reiterated.

In the past 10 years, the number of clinical trials has

increased in China. Twenty-eight clinical trials (≥150

subjects) have been conducted in China, including four

phase IV, phase III, four phase II/III, and six phase II studies.

Since 2003, no FDA approved drugs that halt or even

slow the progression of AD have been introduced.10,11

Most likely, the reason is the single-target mechanisms

of these drugs and the fact that AD is a complex disease

that involves a variety of pathophysiological changes.12,13

Chinese medicines may have the potential to overcome

this issue due to the incorporation of multiple anti-AD

components that have multiple physiological targets.14

In addition to AD, several studies have investigated the

abilities of Chinese medicine to treat vascular-related

cognitive impairments. In a clinical trial in 2016, a

modern Chinese medicine compound called DL-3-n-

butylphthalide (NBP) was shown to be safe and effective

in improving cognitive and global functioning in patients

with subcortical vascular cognitive impairment with

no dementia.15 Another Chinese medicine compound

known as SLT was shown to improve memory, orientation,

language and executive functions and daily activities for

patients with VaD in clinical trials.16 Taken together, these

studies provide evidence that Chinese medicines may be

effective in treating vascular cognitive impairments and

may inspire further clinical trials of Chinese medicines for

the treatment of AD.

Biography

Jianping Jia is working in the Department of Neurology, at Xuan Wu

Hospital, Capital Medical University, in Beijing, China. He is also working

in the Beijing Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, Beijing,

China. He is one of the researcher in the Center of Alzheimer's Disease,

Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China.

e:

jjp@ccmu.edu.cn