2.7. Dementia

The various types of dementia (Alzheimer’s, vascular, fronto-temporal, Lewy body dementia, etc.), constitute an increasingly important public health issue, they represent one of the main causes of disability in the general population and have a significant social and health impact as regards the quantity and quality of the resources they require.

The main risk factor associated with the onset of dementia is age. The weight of this ageing contributes to confirming the estimates of numerous international epidemiological studies that estimate that by 2020, over 48 million people will have dementia, which could rise, in the following twenty years, to over 81 million people. The vast majority of whom concentrated in developing countries.

In European Union countries alone, the most reliable estimates suggest that by 2020 there will be over 15 million people with dementia, with almost twice as many female cases as male.

Furthermore, in terms of disability, based on Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) scale assessments, in European Union countries, the weight of dementia is almost twice that generated by an illness such as diabetes. In the same countries, the estimated dementia-related costs in 2008 came to over 160 billion Euros, with an estimated cost of informal care alone of around 56% of the total. The forecasts based on demographic evolution in Europe suggest that these costs will rise by approximately 43% by 2030. The complexity and structuring of dementia-related issues suggest the need for the concrete promotion of an integrated approach to this problem guaranteeing early identification, efficacious treatment, caregiving continuity as well as the information and support required to achieve higher levels of self-management. For a correct diagnosis of dementia syndrome the “guidelines on the use of imaging techniques in dementia” belonging to the National Guidelines System (SNLG) analyses the validity and indications of imaging methods for the various clinical settings as well as the various forms of dementia in order to identify the most appropriate methods for diagnosis and formulating evidence-based recommendations.