Drugs offer fresh hope for dementia

DEMENTIA patients in the Lothians have received a boost after new drugs came on to the market to help control the illness.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland has approved the use of all medication for Alzheimer's disease, meaning doctors now have more options to treat it.

Charities said the move was positive for the estimated 82,000 people in Scotland with dementia.

New treatments are seen as crucial in the fight against dementia. Thousands more are expected to be diagnosed across the Lothians over the next 15 years as part of a predicted 40 per cent increase.

This is due to an ageing demographic and improved diagnosis rate.

Old age psychiatry consultant Dr Gillian McLean said: "The clinical guidance provided by Healthcare Improvement Scotland is of huge importance to how Alzheimer's disease is managed.

"We now have effective treatments available for all stages of the disease and we need to ensure that patients who are eligible have access to treatment."