Dr Alegret insists that it is crucial to detect this disease early to allow early intervention and slow the progression of cognitive decline, thus improving the quality of life of those affected. In this regard, the recognition by the World Health Organization (WHO) of dementia as a public health priority has led to increased investment in early detection programmes.

Preventing the disease, according to Dr Alegret, is possible in almost half of dementia cases, as scientific studies published this year indicate. To do this, she points to the need for lifelong action on 14 modifiable risk factors, among which she has cited a low level of schooling, hypertension, elevated cholesterol levels, smoking, obesity, depression, physical and intellectual inactivity, social isolation, diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption, uncorrected hearing or visual loss, and air pollution.

Regarding current treatments, there is still no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. However, as explained by Dr Xavier Morató, lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine and Head of Clinical Trials at Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona, there are two drugs that, for the first time, have been shown to slow the progress of cognitive impairment by 27-35% in the early stages of the disease.

Beyond existing treatments, specialists agree that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is helping to analyse large amounts of clinical, cognitive, neuroimaging and other biomarker data. Dr Marta Marquié, neurologist and head of the Big Data and AI programme at the Alzheimer Centre Barcelona and a lecturer in the university's Faculty of Medicine, points out that AI can help to better understand the initial stages of the disease and detect the earliest changes that can predict which individuals will develop Alzheimer's in the future.

However, they all remind us that monitoring the disease requires multidisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive care for each patient and their families, which should include neurologists, neuropsychologists, nurses and social workers.