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It's nan UK's biggest killer, claiming nan lives of astir 74,000 Brits each year.
But 40 per cent of group person nary thought dementia tin beryllium deadly, a canvass suggests.
Memory loss, slow reasoning velocity and trouble concentrating are well-known markers of nan disease, which is often incorrectly thought to beryllium a earthy portion of ageing.
But arsenic dementia progresses, areas of nan encephalon that power captious functions, specified arsenic swallowing and breathing, get damaged.
Sufferers can, therefore, create fatal complications, including pneumonia, bosom problems and superior infections.
Many group are not alert of nan devastation caused by dementia, an Alzheimer's Research UK canvass of much than 2,500 adults without dementia revealed
But they tin besides beryllium a motion of dementia — nan memory-robbing information plaguing astir 1million Brits and 7million Americans
But galore group are still not alert of nan devastation caused by dementia, declare experts.
A study by Alzheimer's Research UK of much than 2,500 adults without dementia revealed that almost half fearfulness processing dementia.
However, only a 3rd of group judge it's imaginable to trim their consequence of getting it.
This is contempt investigation suggesting up to 4 successful 10 dementia cases are preventable done changes for illustration cutting backmost connected alcohol and quitting smoking.
Maintaining a patient bosom and brain, keeping progressive and having a patient weight tin besides trim nan risk, studies show.
Memory slips, mixing up words and struggling to attraction tin beryllium a normal portion of ageing
The study besides revealed that much than half of respondents know, aliases person known, personification diagnosed pinch dementia — astir commonly a genitor aliases grandparent.
But Alzheimer's Research UK recovered location is still a immense spread successful knowledge erstwhile it comes to dementia.
'It's shocking that conscionable six successful 10 group realise dementia is simply a origin of death, contempt it being nan biggest slayer successful nan UK', said Samantha Benham-Hermetz, executive head of argumentation astatine Alzheimer's Research UK.
Dementia and Alzheimer's — nan astir communal shape — were nan starring origin of decease successful England and Wales successful 2022, accounting for 65,967 fatalities.
This was up by 4,700 compared to 2021, according to nan Office for National Statistics.
Scotland logged 6,277 deaths and Northern Ireland reported astir 2,000.
The 12 steps to trim your consequence of dementia
- Getting astatine slightest 7 hours of slumber a night
- Regularly challenging nan brain
- Looking aft intelligence well-being
- Staying socially active
- Looking aft your hearing
- Eating a balanced diet
- Staying physically active
- Quitting smoking
- Drinking responsibly
- Keeping a patient level of cholesterol
- Maintaining patient humor pressure
- Managing glucosuria arsenic good arsenic possible
Women are much apt to create dementia than men and since 2011, it has been nan starring origin of decease for women, according to Alzheimer's Research UK.
Around 944,000 group successful nan UK are thought to beryllium surviving pinch dementia, according to nan charity.
The word is utilized to picture nan symptoms that hap erstwhile location is simply a diminution successful encephalon function. There are galore causes but Alzheimer's is nan astir common.
Many of nan diseases — which besides see vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia — are linked pinch an abnormal build-up of proteins successful nan encephalon that origin nervus cells to deteriorate and die, causing parts of nan encephalon to shrink.
There is presently nary cure for dementia but medicines and therapies tin thief easiness symptoms.
However, scientists are hopeful that narcotics successful nan pipeline that person been shown to clear nan encephalon of nan plaques thought to beryllium responsible for dementia — specified arsenic donanemab, lencanemab and remternetug — will beryllium 'game-changing'.
About a half of adults surveyed by Alzheimer's Research UK said they are sceptical of treatments presently available, pinch galore saying they are not effective.
But astir (56 per cent) judge nan diseases which origin dementia will beryllium cured.
'For a agelong time, treatments haven't changed radically. If I went backmost to my session 20 years ago, it wouldn't look excessively different from really it does today, some successful really we measure dementia and what we tin do astir it', said Dr Ben Underwood, adjunct professor successful aged property psychiatry astatine nan University of Cambridge.
But caller advancements successful treating dementia could 'change nan game', Dr Underwood added.
He said: 'In bid to make much progress, we request to get nan full of nine progressive and promote everyone to beryllium portion of research.
'The much of a speech we tin person astir dementia, nan better.'
WHAT IS DEMENTIA?
Dementia is an umbrella word utilized to picture a scope of neurological disorders
A GLOBAL CONCERN
Dementia is an umbrella word utilized to picture a scope of progressive neurological disorders (those affecting nan brain) which effect memory, reasoning and behaviour.
There are galore types of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s illness is nan astir common.
Some group whitethorn person a operation of different types of dementia.
Regardless of which type is diagnosed, each personification will acquisition dementia successful their ain unsocial way.
Dementia is simply a world interest but it is astir often seen successful wealthier countries, wherever group are apt to unrecorded into very aged age.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED?
The Alzheimer's Society reports location are much than 900,000 group surviving pinch dementia successful nan UK today. This is projected to emergence to 1.6 cardinal by 2040.
Alzheimer's illness is nan astir communal type of dementia, affecting betwixt 50 and 75 per cent of those diagnosed.
In nan US, it's estimated location are 5.5 cardinal Alzheimer's sufferers. A akin percent emergence is expected successful nan coming years.
As a person’s property increases, truthful does nan consequence of them processing dementia.
Rates of test are improving but galore group pinch dementia are thought to still beryllium undiagnosed.
IS THERE A CURE?
Currently location is nary cure for dementia.
But caller narcotics tin slow down its progression and nan earlier it is spotted, nan much effective treatments tin be.
Source: Alzheimer’s Society
