Diagnosis is important because some causes can be treated and because new drugs are likely to be targeted at particular diseases. Most people are referred to a consultant to confirm diagnosis. People who are seriously concerned should visit their GP and explain their symptoms. Click for more information on diagnosis. For most people there is no cure and they progress from mild to moderate to severe dementia over a period of between five and 20 years.
Drugs can help to control depression, difficult behaviour and agitation.
New treatments seek to protect messenger chemicals in the brain from being destroyed, and so slow down or delay mental decline. There are good grounds to hope that this treatment will become more effective, although there is no prospect yet of reversing the brain damage that has already occurred. Because dementia is associated with age, a drug which could delay the start of symptoms would allow more people to reach the end of their natural lives without being seriously affected. If a drug could delay the start of dementia by five years, this would halve the number of people who would be affected before natural death occurs. Click for more information on new treatments for Alzheimer' s disease.