World Alzheimer Report 2021

According to a new report looking at Alzheimer’s disease and dementia worldwide, around 75 per cent of all dementia cases are undiagnosed — and due to advancements in treatments and testing, there could be a “tsunami of demand” for diagnosis in the next few years.

COVID-19 was a big blow to access to diagnosis, where you need to really see someone in person, so there's a backlog now probably of a year for people in need of an assessment worldwide.

– Serge Gauthier, a clinician neurologist, professor at McGill University and one of the authors of the new report.

The World Alzheimer Report, released this week by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), found that the issue was more pronounced in low-income countries, where up to 90 per cent of dementia cases have no medical diagnosis.

Currently half a million Canadians live with dementia, with that number expected to increase to almost one million by 2030. Canada, which is classified as a high-income country, is estimated to have 60 per cent of its dementia cases undiagnosed.