Addressing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias to realise the promise of the UN’s ‘Decade of Healthy Ageing’


Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias not only cause suffering to the individual but have high societal and economic costs. This column estimates that, globally, these diseases contributed to a loss of 33.1 million years of full health (measured in disability-adjusted life years) in 2019. Over the next 30 years, the loss could more than triple, with the burden increasingly falling on low- and middle-income countries. To ensure the future health and functioning of an ageing global community, the global community must invest effectively and efficiently in R&D and scale effective supportive interventions for Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Read the full article here.