Dementia is costing the UK GBP17 billion (EUR 25 billion) a year and increased funding must be made available for dementia research, according to a new report from the Alzheimer's Society.

The report, which was carried out by researchers from the London School of Economics and King's College London, estimates that there are currently around 700,000 people in the UK suffering from dementia. They predict that that figure will rise to 940,000 by 2021 and 1.7 million by 2051.

'This new research shows that government is failing to support people with dementia and their carers. As the number of people with dementia soars to a million by 2025, this problem will only get worse,' commented Neil Hunt, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer's Society. 'Dementia will place an intolerable strain on our health and social care system unless the right services and support are in place.'

According to the report, urgent action is needed to boost funding for research into dementia. 'There have been major advances in the field of dementia research. However, public funding for dementia research lags far behind that of other serious medical conditions,' states the report.

'Dementia is one of the main causes of disability later in life ahead of cancer, cardiovascular disease an stroke, yet funding for dementia research is significantly lower than these other conditions,' said Professor Martin Knapp of the London School of Economics. 'Even delaying the onset of dementia by five years would halve the number of related deaths, saving nearly 30,000 lives annually.'

The low level of funding accorded to dementia research is reflected in the low number of papers on the subject. Since 2002, just 1.4% of research papers on chronic disorders have focused on dementia. In comparison, cancer accounted for 23.5% of such papers, cardiovascular diseases accounted for 17.6% and musculoskeletal disorders accounted for 6.9%.

'We must tackle this huge challenge head on with a national dementia strategy,' said Mr Hunt. 'We need to invest in dementia services, research, support and training and use what money is being spent more effectively. Planning now will save lives and money in the future.'

According to figures from Alzheimer Europe, over 5.5 million people in the EU suffer from dementia. The health of the ageing population is highlighted as an 'overarching issue of strategic importance' in the work programme of the 'Health' theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme, and part of the programme is devoted to research into brain-related diseases, including age-related illnesses such as dementia and Parkinson's.