Report warns of undiagnosed dementia risk

Thousands of people are living with dementia that has not been diagnosed and the figure could exceed half a million people by 2021, experts have warned.

The Alzheimer's Society's latest study throws a spotlight on the number of people with the condition in each part of the UK, as well as the percentage who have received a diagnosis.

Conducted in conjunction with Alzheimer Scotland and Tesco, the study shows huge variations in diagnosis rates across the country, with 69 percent of dementia sufferers in Belfast having been identified, compared with 26 percent among those in Dorset.

By 2021, the number of people living with dementia in Milton Keynes is expected to increase by 56 percent and experts believe that just 38 percent of affected people will have received a diagnosis.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "It's really concerning that six out of ten people with dementia don't have a diagnosis and so can't access the support they badly need."

Care services minister Paul Burstow commented that the need to raise awareness of dementia diagnosis has "never been greater".