Dementia, commonly associated with old age, leads to a gradual decline of brain activity. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
Other top health-related searches in Kenya included anthrax, psychotherapy, chemotherapy, psychosis, dialysis, immunisation, arthritis, inflammation and malaria.
Most Kenyans are curious about conditions that cause mental illness.
According to the July Google Search Trends Report, 'What is dementia' emerged as the top trending health query on the search engine.
Dementia, commonly associated with old age, leads to a gradual decline of brain activity. It is caused by diseases that damage the brain such as Alzheimer’s or multiple strokes.
Some of the common symptoms of the disease include memory loss, thinking complications, problem solving challenges and language difficulties.
Research shows that all types of dementia are progressive, damaging the structure and electrical activity of the brain over time. As this happens, the person’s ability to remember, understand and communicate gradually declines.
The second most popular health query on Google Search was 'What is anthrax'.
This enquiry was mainly driven by media reports in July stating that an anthrax outbreak had allegedly killed more than one hundred buffaloes and two rhinos at Lake Nakuru national park.
The news drove many Kenyans online, seeking to learn more about the fatal ailment that can also be transmitted to human beings.
Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by a rod-shaped bacterium known as bacillus anthracis which is naturally found in soil. It usually causes sudden death in animals but can be prevented through appropriate vaccinations.
Kenyans also turned to Google to find the answers to 'What is psychotherapy' – a query that came third on the trending health searches.
Commonly known as 'Talk Therapy', psychotherapy refers to a way of treating people with mental disorders by helping them understand their illness.
It empowers them with strategies for dealing with stress, negative thoughts and behaviours. The tactics may include time management skills, viewing challenges as opportunities for growth, and learning to share problems with trusted and supportive individuals.
Sometimes psychotherapy is combined with medications to yield desired results.
Another common health-related search on Google was on chemotherapy, which took the fifth position on the trending health list.
Chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses dugs to kills cancerous cells so as to stop or slow down their multiplication and spread to the body.
As the drugs also damage normal cells, it causes patients to suffer from side effects of the treatment such as hair loss, lack of appetite and body weakness.
Other popular health searches included online queries about psychosis, dialysis, immunisation, arthritis, inflammation and malaria.
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Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
