ROMA (ITALPRESS) – Società Italiana di Neurologia (SIN), Croce Rossa Italiana and Fondazione Aletheia have signed in the Sala Nassirya del Senato the protocol of understanding that gives start to the national campaign “Health of the brain: Prevention, Policies, Perspectives.” The initiative took place on the occasion of the Week of the Brain (16-22 March), with the aim of consolidating a shared strategy to respond to the increasing weight of neurological pathologies. According to the WHO Global Status Report on Neurology, neurological disorders affect 3.4 billion people and constitute the first global cause of bad health and disability. The weight of a pathology such as dementia is destined to grow in Italy: according to the new report The Prevalence of Dementia in Europe 2025 of Alzheimer Europe, today in our country live more than 1,430,000 people with dementia, a number that will increase by 54% by 2050, reaching approximately 2.2 million cases, with Italy first in the European Union due to incidence in relation to the population. “Evidence indicates that among the risk factors for dementia such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, untreated hearing loss, social isolation and pollution, some are editable and intervention on them could reduce the risk of dementia up to 45% – explainedMario Zappia, President SIN – Even Parkinson’s disease, one of the main neurodegenerative diseases in the world and second This protocol stems from the desire to bring neurological prevention to the same level of what our country has already been able to do for oncological or cardiovascular diseases. Together with the Italian Red Cross and the Aletheia Foundation we want to make this commitment a national priority.”These elements are added the role of the diet: the ultra-formulated (or ultra-processed) foods that are increasingly established between the population and the new generations are associated with an increase in cognitive decline, while the Mediterranean diet shows a protective effect up to 30%. According to Riccardo Fargione, Director of the Aletheia Foundation: “To act on changing risk factors for the occurrence of non-transmissible chronic pathologies, including neurodegenerative ones, is crucial to ensure a future of health for the new generations. Food is an indispensable natural medicine and the Mediterranean Diet is a protective shield that reduces the risk of dementia and other neurodegenerative pathologies by improving cognitive functions throughout our lives by up to 30%. Today Aletheia, SIN and Italian Red Cross – continues Fargione – start a serious path for neurological prevention because as we often remember, health is also born at the table”. The intersectoral alliance now aims to develop a joint program of awareness and prevention throughout the life, integrating correct lifestyles, balanced nutrition, health education and territorial initiatives thanks also to the capillarity of the Italian Red Cross. “The capillary presence on the territory, the involvement of communities through our Volunteering and the commitment to support the most vulnerable people are elements that distinguish the action of the Italian Red Cross. In this sense, prevention is one of the fundamental pillars of CRI activities, which over the years has developed more and more multidimensional interventions, in which access to health services, the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the support of people in vulnerability conditions integrate with the themes of economic, environmental and social sustainability. The protocol signed today with the Italian Society of Neurology and the Aletheia Foundation strengthens a path alreadylaunched by the Italian Red Cross and represents an important opportunity to set up scientific skills, territorial presence and capacity for community involvement. Thanks to this collaboration – said Valerio Mogini, Director of Socio-Sanitario of the Italian Red Cross – it will be possible to promote more and more incisive awareness and prevention actions, contributing to the health protection of people throughout the life, also in the neurological profile”. The conference was attended by Senator Tilde Minasi, member of the Senate Social Affairs Commission and promoter of the meeting, who stressed: “The health of the brain must be considered a public priority. The protocol signed today between Società Italiana di Neurologia, Croce Rossa Italiana and Fondazione Aletheia represents an important step, because it clearly states that neurological prevention can no longer be a marginal theme, but must enter the institutional agenda. In the face of such important numbers, it is not enough to record the problems: it is necessary to govern them, strengthening precisely prevention, information, taking into account and proximity of the services. It is in this direction that we continue to move as a government and through the competent commissions, translating scientific evidence into effective public choices and building an increasingly solid strategy to protect neurological health, families and the quality of people’s lives”. Giovanni Leonardi, Head of Department of Human Health, Animal Health, Ecosystem (One Health) and International Health Reports of the Ministry of Health spoke at the meeting highlighting: “A significant share of the main neurological pathologies is associated with potentially changeable risk factors on which it is possible to intervene effectively through an integrated and multidisciplinary approach, in the One Health perspective, in order to promote healthy behavior along all ages of life, increase awareness of citizens and foster health-friendly life contexts.” -photo press office Aletheia –(ITALPRESS).
