Alzheimer's to cost the world economy £388 billion
21 September 2010
The report, issued by Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI) on World Alzheimer’s Day, presents the economic and social costs of the illness and calls for global action to address what the authors call the "most significant health crisis of the 21st Century".
Professor Anders Wimo, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, and Professor Martin Prince, of the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, combined data on disease prevalence from the 2009 World Alzheimer Report with improved data on low- and middle-income countries from the 10/66 Dementia Research Group studies in China, India and Latin America. Their analyses take into account the cost of more informal care systems, which had been excluded from previous impact estimates.
They estimate that the number of people with dementia will double by 2030, and more than triple by 2050. The costs of caring for people with dementia are likely to rise even faster, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Reports from individual countries such as the UK suggest that dementia is one of the costliest illnesses, yet the authors found that research and investment is at a far lower level than for other major illnesses.
Professor Prince urged nations to develop better plans for caring for the millions who have the disease. "The care of people with dementia is not just a health issue - it is a massive social issue," he said.
"This is particularly true in low- and middle-income countries which lack adequate systems of formal care. Governments must show greater leadership, working with all stakeholders, to drive solutions to the long term care issue."
The authors urge governments worldwide to make Alzheimer's disease a top priority and to develop national plans to deal with the social and health consequences of dementia. Several countries, including France, Australia and the UK, have already made such moves.
Wimo and Prince say there is a need for policies and plans for long-term care that anticipate and address social and demographic trends. These must have an explicit focus on supporting family caregivers and ensuring social protection of vulnerable people, they say.
The authors also call for major research funders to increase funding to a level more proportionate to the economic burden of the condition. Recently published data from the UK suggests that a 15-fold increase is required to reach parity with research into heart disease, and a 30-fold increase to achieve parity with cancer research.
There are 35.6 million people living with dementia worldwide, according to Alzheimer’s Disease International. This is projected to increase to 65.7m by 2030 and 115.4m by 2050. The syndrome is caused by a number of progressive disorders that affect memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday activities.
The 10/66 Dementia Group is part-funded by the Wellcome Trust.
Image: 'Memories' artwork depicting the things stored in a man's head.
Credit: Marina Caruso, Wellcome Images
Reference
World Alzheimer Report 2010
