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What is Alzheimer's Disease?
Dementia is the progressive loss of the powers of the brain. The most common cause is Alzheimer's disease (AD),
accounting for around two thirds of cases in the elderly.
Alzheimer's disease changes the chemistry and structure of the brain,
damaging and killing brain cells, so that the brain cannot work as well as it should.
Since brain cells are not able to regenerate, Alzheimer’s Disease is not considered curable.
Each person will be affected in different ways and it is not possible to predict which symptoms someone will develop.
While there are no drugs that can cure AD there are drugs which can help alleviate some of the symptoms for some people
with AD and improve their quality of life.
How prevalent is Alzheimer’s Disease?
There are 820,000 people living with dementia in the UK today, a number forecast to rise rapidly as the population ages.
71,000 people in Scotland have dementia which is expected to rise to 127,000 by 2031
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for around two thirds of cases in the elderly.
There will be over a million people with dementia by 2025.
The financial cost of dementia to the UK is over £17 billion a year
As our population ages, the need for treatment and prevention increases. If the age of onset of the disease could be delayed by five years, the incidence would decrease by up to 50%.
Research is making progress, but is very under-funded, especially when compared with other diseases.
For more information on Alzheimer's Disease
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