News Release

18 September 2006

Reaching the roof of Africa for Alzheimer's disease

An international team of ten people from eight different countries will be climbing to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania in aid of Alzheimer's disease this September. The team, comprised of climbers from USA, Canada, Dominican Republic, UK, Denmark, Hungary, Turkey and Hong Kong, are planning to climb the 5,800m to reach Uhuru peak on World Alzheimer's Day, 21st September.

To mark the centenary year of Alzheimer's disease "The Ascent for Alzheimer's" is being co-ordinated by Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), the international federation of Alzheimer's associations worldwide, with the Alzheimer's Society of British Colombia, Canada.

In 1906, the German doctor Alois Alzheimer made the first diagnosis of the disease that would bear his name. One hundred years later Alzheimer's disease and other dementias affect 24 million people worldwide and the numbers are rising rapidly. There is one new case every seven seconds and the number of people with dementia is projected to increase to 81 million by 2040.

The world's population is ageing rapidly. Already, chronic diseases, like dementia, are the leading cause of death in all world regions other than Africa. Michael Lefevre, Executive Director of ADI said: 'With so many people affected, dementia is, or will be, a part of all of our lives. It can no longer be a hidden problem, surrounded by ignorance and stigma.'

The world team hope to raise awareness of dementia through the Ascent and each climber has pledged to raise at least US$10,000 for their national Alzheimer association. Melanie Legg, the British climber, will be raising money for ADI. She said 'Everybody knows somebody affected by dementia. It is not a normal part of ageing and it affects the lives of millions of families around the world. The Ascent for Alzheimer's is an international show of unity to meet the challenge of dementia. It is our way of bringing the world's attention to this most important of issues. '

To find out how you can support the Ascent for Alzheimer's team please visit www.alz.co.uk/ascent

Notes to editors:

Alzheimer's Disease International is the international federation of 75 Alzheimer associations around the world. ADI was founded in 1984 and is based in London. ADI has been in official working relations with the World Health Organization since 1996. The president of ADI is Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of Rita Hayworth, who had Alzheimer's disease.

ADI commissioned the following report: "Global prevalence of dementia: A Delphi consensus study", Ferri, Prince, et al.; Lancet 2005; 366:2112-2117.

For more information about ADI please go to www.alz.co.uk

Dementia is a progressive degenerative brain syndrome which affects memory, thinking, behaviour and emotion. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Declining memory, especially short-term memory is the most common early symptom of dementia. Other symptoms include difficulty performing familiar tasks, disorientation to time and place, poor or decreased judgment and changes in personality.

World Alzheimer's Day is celebrated on 21 September each year. The day was launched with the support of the World Health Organization in 1994. ADI co-ordinates events and produces and distributes materials around the world. For a list of global events please refer to: www.alz.co.uk/adi/wad

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