News Release

21 September 2006

Ten arrive on Kilimanjaro summit as world commemorates 100 years of Alzheimer's

An international team of dementia supporters reached the 5,800m summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, today, to mark the 100th anniversary of the first description of Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia.

The climb will raise over US$100,000 to help combat dementia, a condition for which there is a new case every seven seconds and that currently affects more than 24 million people worldwide. By 2040, the number affected will rise to 81 million.

Melanie Legg, 25, of Alzheimer's Disease International, UK, led the gruelling 7-day, 6-night trek from rainforest to glaciers, accompanied by others from as far afield as Turkey, the USA, and Hong Kong.

The "Ascent for Alzheimer's" is being co-ordinated by Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), the federation of Alzheimer's associations worldwide. In 1906, the German doctor Alois Alzheimer made the first diagnosis of the disease that would bear his name.

Professor Martin Prince, who co-ordinated the prevalence study in medical journal, The Lancet said, "There is already a great need for community based services, welfare and support and these recent figures show that pressure on governments for dementia services will increase dramatically in the next few years. This need has to be addressed now."

Notes to editors:

Alzheimer's Disease International is the 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.

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.

The Ascent for Alzheimer's is a fundraising initiative of the Alzheimer's Society of British Colombia, Canada. More information can be found at: www.alz.co.uk/ascent

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

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