Alzheimer's campaign calls for earlier detection of disease
Fiona Phillips is supporting the campaign as her mother died from Alzheimer's and her father is now suffering from the disease
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By Adam Leveridge
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Friday, 12, Mar 2010 03:03
A new campaign is aiming to cut down the time it takes Alzheimer's sufferers to make their first doctor's appointment to highlight the importance of early detection.
With the help of former GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips, the campaign, entitled Memory Problems?, hopes to help people recognised the early symptoms of the disease.
The aim is to reduce the time it currently takes from possible symptoms being noticed in a potential sufferer to them seeing their doctors which is currently 43 weeks on average. Campaigners say this is vital as although there is no cure for Alzheimer's, early treatment can slow its progression.
Fiona Phillips is supporting the campaign as her mother died from Alzheimer's and her father is now suffering from the disease.
There are currently around 700,000 people with dementia in the UK, costing the economy an estimated £17 billion a year. Research reveals the vast majority of Alzheimer's disease patients are initially brought to the doctor by a family member.
"Diagnosing dementia is often difficult, particularly in the early stages, but this is when it is most important," said Professor Roy Jones from The Research Institute for the Care of Older People (RICE) Centre, Royal United Hospital, Bath.
"If we can diagnose and start managing Alzheimer's disease early, we can help patients and their families cope better with the situation. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this devastating disease, but there are treatments that may slow the progression of symptoms and these should be prescribed at the time of diagnosis."