Alzheimer's disease health centre

Dementia - How common is dementia?

BMJ Group Medical Reference

If someone in your family has Alzheimer's or another type of dementia, you are not alone. Roughly 700,000 people in the UK have dementia.

The chances of getting dementia increase as you get older. About 1 in 100 people in their late 60s have dementia.^[22] This rises to 6 in 100 people in their late 70s, and 20 in 100 people in their late 80s.

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What will happen?

Most types of dementia cannot be cured. The symptoms will get worse over time. The only exception is dementia that happens suddenly after a stroke. Sometimes doctors can reverse this, although it's not always possible. Your doctor probably won't be able to tell you how quickly the condition will get worse or how soon the disease will affect day-to-day life. Everyone's different. Some people get worse gradually over several years. Others get worse suddenly, over a few months. Some have long...

Read the What will happen? article > >

For more than half the people with dementia, the cause is Alzheimer's disease.^[17]

The number of people affected by dementia is increasing because more people are living longer. By 2021 the number of people in the UK with some form of dementia is predicted to rise to 940,110.^[22]

Citations

For references related to Dementia click here.

Last Updated: November 04, 2010

This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.