New report suggests 75 per cent of dementia cases are undiagnosed, with 'tsunami' of new diagnoses on the horizon

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.

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.

But the way dementia is diagnosed and treated is changing, according to Serge Gauthier, a clinician neurologist, professor at McGill University and one of the authors of the new report.

“[In] a relatively short time, two to five years, the diagnosis of dementia will be more biological than it is now,” he told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. “In other words, within five years, everyone who sees a doctor with dementia type of symptoms will have a blood test that's nearly certain, or a spinal tap.