COLETTE Douglas Home is right to be concerned about Alzheimer's ("Taking Alzheimer's test would fill me with dread", The Herald, March 11) but it is not true that "there is nothing we can do about it".
While the overall number of people contracting any kind of dementia is going up, this is because there are growing numbers of older people. The fact is that the chances of any particular individual contracting dementia are reducing - a by-product of improvements in other health areas.
Improved diet or taking more exercise reduce the risk of contracting Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. Similarly, not enough people know that the risk of developing dementia may be up to 70% higher in heavy smokers than in non-smokers.
March 12 is No Smoking Day. The 70% of smokers who say they want to quit can use this as a hook to reduce their risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, arthritis - and dementia.
Readers wishing to know more about dementia can find plenty of information on Alzheimer Scotland's website, www.alzscot.org
Sheila Duffy,
Chief executive, Ash Scotland,
8 Frederick Street, Edinburgh.
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