Dementia will quadruple in years to come

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A new report shows that the numbers with dementia will double every 20 years, with developing countries being hardest hit.
It is one hundred years since Alzheimer's disease was first described. Alzheimer's Disease International marks the centenary by a survey showing that 24.3 million people around the world now have dementia (of which Alzheimer's is the most common form). By 2040, it is likely that that number will have risen to 81.1 million.

Most people with dementia live in developing countries - 60 per cent of the total in 2001 rising to 71 per cent by 2040. The rate of increase will be higher in these developing countries than in the more developed world. This is a public health time bomb for Governments everywhere - policy must be planned and resources for care allocated. Indeed, much more must be done to raise awareness of the condition - because millions are going undiagnosed and lack the care and services they need.

Source
The Lancet December 17th 2005

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