DEMENTIA breakthroughs

There have been some recent advances in the spotting, treating and prevention of dementia. Here's what you need to know

Cases of dementia are on the rise. There are currently around 900,000 people diagnosed in the UK, with figures expected to grow to 1.6 million by 2040 as the population ages. Until now, medication has been able to improve concentration but not stop the progression of the disease, yet the success of some new drugs has offered hope.

'This is a time to be optimistic,' says Dr Susan Mitchell, head of policy at Alzheimer's Research UK. 'This is a field that's not had any real innovations in 20 years.' But changes in our understanding of helping prevent the disease, as well as spotting it earlier and new drugs, mean 'in the next five years, we can look forward to radical shifts in how we treat people'.

WAYS TO PREVENT

IT Recent research* has identified 11 factors that can predict your risk of dementia. While some of these you can't influence - such as your age, genetics or gender - there are others you can do something about, says Professor Sana Suri, one of the study's lead authors. 'Given that some of the factors included in the score can be modified or treated, there are things we can do to help reduce our risk of dementia,' he says.

* Research suggests that around 40% of diagnosis could be avoided by lifestyle changes, such as stopping smoking, losing weight and cutting alcohol intake. A healthy diet is key to help avoid diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, all of which raise your risk of Alzheimer's.