Dame Barbara Windsor was one of the 850,000 people that are believed to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease in the UK.
The 83-year-old Eastenders and Carry On star died in a London care home last night after a six year battle with the condition.
NHS Scotland describes Alzheimer’s disease as a progressive neurological disease which can affect multiple brain functions including memory.
The exact causes of the condition are still unknown, but there are a number of things that are thought to increase your risk of developing it.
Increasing age, family history with the condition or previous severe head injuries are just some of the factors listed.
The first sign of Alzheimer’s disease is usually minor memory problems - an example of this could be forgetting a recent conversation or event or forgetting the names of places or objects.
As the condition is most common in people over the age of 65, minor memory loss is commonly attributed to ‘just old age’.
But symptoms of the condition grow more severe as it progresses. These can range from hallucinations to problems moving around without assistance or performing self-care tasks.
There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but catching it early is vital in preparing to plan for a future with the condition and also any support that is required.
Recent research by the University of Bristol found that testing people’s memory over four weeks could identify who is at higher risk of developing the condition before it has developed.
Experts studied 46 healthy older people for the study, with an average age of 70.7.
The participants performed three memory tasks on which delayed recalls was tested after 30 minutes and four weeks, the commonly-used Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) test and an MRI brain scan.
Research found that the memory of 15 of the 46 people who took part declined over the year and that the four week verbal memory test predicted cognitive decline in these healthy older people better than the clinical gold standard memory tests.
People with Alzheimer’s disease are said to live for around eight to 10 years following the first diagnosis - but this can vary among patients.
It is hoped that this discovery will be able to catch Alzheimer's disease early, which would allow experts to act swiftly to slow its development.
Co-author of the study, Dr Alfie Wears, said: “Our study shows evidence for a low-cost and quick to administer screening tool that could be used to identify the very earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
“It could also directly speed up the development of effective Alzheimer's disease therapies, and enable earlier treatment when such therapies are available.”
