The results of the Survey “Attitudes and perceptions of the Spanish population regarding Alzheimer’s”, carried out by the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, shows that the Spanish population has a correct general knowledge about the disease, since 70% knows that Alzheimer's currently has no cure, that healthy lifestyle habits reduce the risk of developing it (70, and that there are certain drugs that can improve the quality of life of affected people (68%).

However, there is still a long way to go and false beliefs persist, still widespread, which need to be clarified, since they are key to addressing and understanding the disease.

As noted by the Dr Arcadi Navarro, director of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, “The data collected in the survey confirm that the Spanish population has adequate information on the basic aspects of Alzheimer's. However, misconceptions persist on key aspects for understanding and addressing the disease and They must be refuted with scientific data or with evidence provided by research.”

Five false myths 

Despite the respondents' correct knowledge of Alzheimer's disease, the survey detected five false beliefs among the Spanish population:

• Alzheimer's can be prevented with specific medication. One in three people believes that the disease can be prevented with specific medication, a false claim, since there is currently no treatment or drug that can slow the course of the disease. In addition, 40% of the population believes that some food supplements and alternative therapies can stop its progress, a claim that is also false.
• Alzheimer's is an inevitable consequence of aging. Almost 401% of the Spanish population believes that Alzheimer's is part of the normal process of aging. It is important to note that age is the main risk factor, but it is not a direct cause of either Alzheimer's or dementia. When a person develops dementia, whatever their age, it is because something has caused it, and it is not an inevitable consequence of getting older. This belief leads to a pessimistic view of aging and calls into question the key role of research focused on prevention, and the healthy lifestyle habits that we can adopt to reduce the risk of suffering from Alzheimer's.
• Lifestyle has no impact on the risk of develop Alzheimer's. More than 20% of respondents and, according to data presented by ADI, 46% of the global population believe that lifestyle has no influence on the development of dementia. This is a false statement. It has been shown that healthy lifestyle habits have a positive impact on our brain health, as they allow us to reduce risk factors for developing the disease.
• Alzheimer's is hereditaryMore than 52% of the Spanish population considers that this disease is mostly hereditary. However, it has been proven that only a minority of cases (less than 1%) are transmitted hereditarily between generations of the same family. However, there are genetic variations that slightly increase the probability of suffering from it, but without being determining or sufficient in themselves.
• People with an active mind tend to develop Alzheimer's disease less. 40% of the population believes that having developed an intense intellectual activity throughout life prevents Alzheimer's. Certainly, cognitive reserve can contribute to delaying cognitive decline, but it is no guarantee of avoiding its appearance later on. It is not an antidote to Alzheimer's.

For all this, the Dr Arcadi Navarro concludes that all these data “They confirm the need to improve the population's knowledge about the factors that can influence the development of the disease. It is essential to continue informing the public that Alzheimer's is – in the vast majority of cases – a disease of multifactorial origin, without deterministic genetic patterns. By expanding this knowledge, we will reduce worry and resignation in the face of the inevitable, and we will reinforce the conviction that each one of us can act to prevent, to a greater or lesser extent, the future development of the disease.”.

Other notable data from the survey

The survey also shows that two out of three Spaniards say they have or have had someone with Alzheimer's in their life, a close relative in 28% of cases. In Spain there are currently more than 900,000 people suffering from this disease. With life expectancy increasing and no effective treatment to slow its progress, the number of cases could double by 2050.

The incidence of Alzheimer's is increasing, and with it the awareness of the Spanish population regarding this disease. And according to the same survey, Alzheimer's is now the second health problem that most worries Spaniards for the future (64%), only behind cancer (70%), and far behind stroke or Covid-19.