The number of people with dementia is expected to quadruple by 2050. Because of its high prevalence and level of associated morbidity, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease in particular, is already an urgent health and economic issue for the developed world, and a rapidly growing threat in developing countries. This thoroughly updated second edition of 'Fast Facts: Dementia' specifically aims to provide the primary care physician and other members of the healthcare team with the information they need to recognize and evaluate dementia and to provide optimum management and long-term care. * Offers a succinct review of the process of brain aging and its relationship to neurodegenerative disease. * Reviews the cause, course and treatment of each of the common illnesses that can provoke the dementia syndrome. * Enables the clinician to recognize the disease and to appreciate the basic principles of investigation and management. * Includes practical steps that the healthcare team can take to improve long-term care of patients and, perhaps, disease prevention Contents: * Basic neuroscience * The aging brain * Symptoms, signs and course * Neuropsychiatric complications * Clinical examination and investigations * Principles of care and treatment * Pharmacological treatment * Epidemiology of the dementing illnesses * Hypotheses on the causes of Alzheimer's disease * Future treatments * Useful resources