Alzheimer's disease and Dementia facts & figures

• Dementia is not a normal part of ageing
• The term 'dementia' and 'Alzheimer's disease' do not have the same meaning. Dementia is an umbrella term describing a syndrome associated with more than 100 different diseases affecting the brain (Alzheimer's disease is one of them)
• The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease (approximately 50-70 per cent of all dementia cases)
• Dementia was the third leading cause of death in Australia in 2010
• 298,000 Australians and 35,600,000 individuals worldwide live with dementia, which is approximately 1 per cent of the Australian population and 0.5 per cent of the global population
• The prevalence of dementia is projected to reach 900,000 by 2050
• Generally, dementia is associated with a loss of mental or cognitive function
• Adults younger than 65 years old may also develop dementia
• Reduction in risk factors and increase in protective factors may reduce chance of developing dementia
• A 10 - 25 per cent reduction in risk factors can potentially prevent as many as 1.1 - 3.0 million cases worldwide.