First line of defence (C-70311)
28 February 2019
Winter 2019
Madeleine Bailey looks at the cutting-edge research that may one day lead to a diagnostic eye test for Alzheimer’s disease.
Dementia is “the most feared health condition of our time”, says Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Society Jeremy Hughes. Few who have been touched by it will disagree. Symptoms common to this condition include a decline in memory, cognitive abilities, use of language and visual perception, along with changes to mood and sometimes personality.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is responsible for 62 per cent of dementia cases (Alzheimer’s Society, 2018a). It currently affects more than 520,000 people in the UK and overall dementia rates are predicted to more than double by 2050 (Alzheimer’s Society, 2018b), but an effective treatment remains elusive.
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