Global dementia victims set to double

THE number of people with dementia across the world is set to double every 20 years, according to new research.

The study found a case of dementia arises every seven seconds and experts say the illness is a “ticking time bomb” for the governments around the globe.

Its estimates 24.3 million people have dementia, with 4.6 million cases diagnosed annually. By 2040 the number will reach 81.1 million.

The report, produced for Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) and published in the Lancet, comes 100 years after the first description of the disease.

It says that most people living with dementia are in the developing world, with five million in China alone.

This compares with 4.8 million in Western Europe and 3.4 million in North America.

The study also highlights how the rate of growth of dementia in the developing world already far exceeds that of richer countries.

The increase is predicted to be three to four times higher in developing, rather than developed, areas.

By 2040 there will be as many people with dementia in China alone as in the whole of the developed world.

“We are faced with a ticking time bomb,” explained ADI chairman Orien Reid. “Governments must start to plan policy, and allocate health and welfare resources for the future. Another cause for concern is millions of these cases are going undiagnosed, meaning that, through ignorance and stigma, people aren’t receiving the care and services they so desperately need.”

Professor Martin Prince, who co-ordinated the study, said: “These new figures show that pressure on governments for dementia services will increase dramatically in the next few years. This need has to be addressed now.”