It is estimated that approximately 9 million people in Europe are living with dementia. This number is expected to increase to 14 million by 2040 (Health at a Glance: Europe 2018, OECD). Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common conditions leading to dementia as it is the underlying cause in 70% of cases (The potential benefit of treating Alzheimer’s disease, EBC). Dementia is a major cause of disability and dependency and has a great impact on the lives of people with the condition, their relatives and society.
Despite the high prevalence of Alzheimer’s dementia across Europe, detecting this condition before symptoms occur can be extremely challenging and diagnosis is often made late in the disease process. Consequently, very often, when this condition is diagnosed, it has already caused significant damage such as impaired memory, thought processes, behaviour and social skills. Therefore, the AD Detect and Prevent project aims to develop a digital tool to improve early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and combining this with lifestyle programs for reducing lifestyle risk related to Alzheimer’s disease.