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Background <p>Dementia is growing worldwide and has been considered a priority for public health by the World Health Organization. The increased number of people with dementia influenced the emergence of a wave of stigma directed at people with dementia. A diagnosis of dementia often leads to a stereotyping attitude or stigma denoting people living with dementia as inferior in some way or incompetent in social interaction. These perceptions significantly affect the well-being and quality of life of people with dementia and their families. Yet, the scarcity of resources that investigated the situation in Egypt limits our understanding of the role of stigma and its implications on the disease in the country. This research aims to explore the perception of dementia to understand its implications on disease management in Egypt.</p> Methods <p>We adopted a qualitative approach, using 24 in-depth interviews with different neurological national and international experts and healthcare providers with experience in the Egyptian context, to explore the perceptions of dementia by people with dementia in order to understand the implications on disease management in Egypt. Data was analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis methodology to allow the emergence of themes and codes that reflect the interviewees` insights.</p> Results <p>The findings reveal that people’s perceptions of dementia are among the main obstacles in managing the advancing disease outcomes in general. Social stigma significantly hinders early diagnosis and effective management of Dementia. People living with dementia often avoid seeking medical help due to the fear of social stigma, which in turn leads to late-stage diagnosis and diminished treatment efficacy. Additionally, collecting patients’ data for clinical studies and management procedures is hindered due to the lack of awareness and the fear of social stigma.</p> Conclusion <p>In conclusion, tackling social stigma is crucial in structuring the situation of dementia among the public in Egypt. The better use of public media platforms could help overcome the problems arising from the social stigma before the situation complicates and imposes implications on both the patients and society. The study emphasizes the need for a structured Dementia community awareness and national policy interventions to provide protective measures for securing people with dementia and decrease disease misconceptions among the public for improved Dementia care in Egypt.</p>

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Perceptions of dementia and their implications on disease management in Egypt

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年1月23日

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  • Shimaa A. Heikal,
  • Aalaa A. Moghith,
  • Mohamed Salama

摘要

Background

Dementia is growing worldwide and has been considered a priority for public health by the World Health Organization. The increased number of people with dementia influenced the emergence of a wave of stigma directed at people with dementia. A diagnosis of dementia often leads to a stereotyping attitude or stigma denoting people living with dementia as inferior in some way or incompetent in social interaction. These perceptions significantly affect the well-being and quality of life of people with dementia and their families. Yet, the scarcity of resources that investigated the situation in Egypt limits our understanding of the role of stigma and its implications on the disease in the country. This research aims to explore the perception of dementia to understand its implications on disease management in Egypt.

Methods

We adopted a qualitative approach, using 24 in-depth interviews with different neurological national and international experts and healthcare providers with experience in the Egyptian context, to explore the perceptions of dementia by people with dementia in order to understand the implications on disease management in Egypt. Data was analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis methodology to allow the emergence of themes and codes that reflect the interviewees` insights.

Results

The findings reveal that people’s perceptions of dementia are among the main obstacles in managing the advancing disease outcomes in general. Social stigma significantly hinders early diagnosis and effective management of Dementia. People living with dementia often avoid seeking medical help due to the fear of social stigma, which in turn leads to late-stage diagnosis and diminished treatment efficacy. Additionally, collecting patients’ data for clinical studies and management procedures is hindered due to the lack of awareness and the fear of social stigma.

Conclusion

In conclusion, tackling social stigma is crucial in structuring the situation of dementia among the public in Egypt. The better use of public media platforms could help overcome the problems arising from the social stigma before the situation complicates and imposes implications on both the patients and society. The study emphasizes the need for a structured Dementia community awareness and national policy interventions to provide protective measures for securing people with dementia and decrease disease misconceptions among the public for improved Dementia care in Egypt.