DEMENTIA COST `TO TOP 1% OF GDP`
Baku, September 21 (AZERTAC). The costs associated with dementia will amount to more than 1% of the world`s gross domestic product this year at $604bn (£388bn), a report says.
The World Alzheimer Report says this is more than the revenue of retail giant Wal-Mart or oil firm Exxon Mobil.
The authors say dementia poses the most significant health and social crisis of the century as its global financial burden continues to escalate.
Campaigners say more investment in dementia care and research into new treatments is needed. Spending more money now would save nations more money in the future by decreasing the disease burden, they say.
A large part of the problem is people living longer - as life expectancy goes up around the world there will be more people who will develop dementia.
