From: unk...@googlegroups.com   
      
   Middle-aged to be given brain tests for dementia   
      
   Family doctors will screen patients for their risk of dementia and tell them   
   their 'brain age' under controversial new plans to tackle lifestyle risks   
       
   Laura Donnelly By Laura Donnelly, Health Editor   
   10:00PM GMT 02 Nov 2014   
      
   Middle-aged people will be screened by GPs for their risk of dementia and told   
   how their "brain age" compares to their biological age, under new plans to   
   "scare" people into adopting healthier lifestyles.   
   It means a man of 40 could be told that he has the brain of a 60-year-old, and   
   a significantly greater chance of diseases like Alzheimer's, based on his   
   weight, exercise habits, cholesterol levels and alcohol intake.   
      
   The new system of screening, devised by Public Health England (PHE) means   
   patients will be told how their brain is ageing, compared to those with   
   healthier lifestyles, in a bid to shock them into changing their ways.   
   Officials behind the idea say they hope the warning will encourage people to   
   make major changes in their lifestyle, which will reduce their chance of   
   dementia.   
      
   But critics said the plans were "heavy-handed and intrusive" and would   
   frighten millions of people - without giving them an accurate forecast of   
   their true risk of dementia.   
      
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   The computer-based test will be piloted by GPs in the next few months, and if   
   successful, will be rolled out to practices across England.   
   Officials said they hope to make it part of a system of health checks which   
   are already offered to everyone between the age of 40 and 74.   
      
   Dr Charles Alessi, PHE lead on dementia, will present details of the screening   
   tool being developed with University College London, to a G7 convention on   
   dementia in Tokyo this week.   
      
   He said officials hoped to harness the public's fear of dementia to make   
   people take action to reduce their risk.   
      
   Dr Alessi, said: "Dementia is going through that phase where people are very   
   scared of it - but you can use the fact they are willing to change their   
   behaviour because they are scared of it to enable to make that change take   
   place."   
      
   The GP said the "personalised tool" would help patients to act on overwhelming   
   evidence that lifestyle changes could reduce their chance of dementia.   
   He said: "It's become clear that actions to tackle smoking, drinking,   
   sedentary behaviour and poor diet could really reduce the risk of dementia in   
   later life."   
   "The tool compares the rate of brain aging compared to the actual age of the   
   individual. We would have something that would assist people in managing their   
   own behaviour."   
      
   The computer-based programme makes calculations based on the answers to   
   questions about habits such as exercise, drinking, smoking and weight,   
   combined with clinical data on blood pressure and cholesterol levels.   
      
   It means a man in his 40 who enjoys a daily drink, little exercise, and   
   smokes, could be told that his brain is ageing at 1.5 times the speed of the   
   normal ageing process - so that his brain is functioning at the level of a   
   60-year-old.   
   The health official, aged 60, said that his own experiments with the prototype   
   had found that a really poor lifestyle could give him a "brain age" of 96.   
   He said giving people an actual estimate of the age of their own brain gave   
   them a "potent health message" to act on.   
      
   "The more you personalise a message, the more people listen to it," he said.   
   "It's harder to run away from the facts if you are being told this is your   
   actual risk, not the overall risk in the population."   
      
   After being given an assessment of their risk, patients would be able to see   
   how making changes - such as stopping smoking, or reducing alcohol intake,   
   could reduce their "brain age" and dementia risks.   
      
   "You can see the potential for individuals to take control of their own   
   lives," he said.   
      
   Dr Alessi, a GP in south west London, said officials want to do more to   
   encourage people to reduce their risk factors much earlier in life.   
   Making lifestyle changes to reduce the chance of dementia would also reduce   
   the chance of other major diseases, such as type two diabetes, heart attacks   
   and strokes, he said.   
      
   Roger Goss, from Patient Concern, said: "This is heavy-handed and intrusive,   
   not only could this frighten people, on the basis of spurious forecasts, but   
   this sort of approach could people off seeking help from their GP when they   
   need it."   
   "These kinds of ideas are outrageous - people don't want to be nagged by their   
   doctor into changing their lifestyle, these are the choice we make as   
   individuals, and GPs should be there when we go to them for help, not forcing   
   this stuff down our throats.   
   "   
      
   Dr Richard Vautrey, deputy chair of the British Medical Association's GP   
   committee said he was not convinced the screening would give an accurate   
   reflection of the chance of developing dementia.   
      
   "Giving someone's brain age in relation to their natural age doesn't   
   necessarily mean they are likely to develop dementia any earlier," he said.   
   "We'd need to really look at the research evidence and understand if there is   
   any basis for this supposition," he said.   
      
   Jeremy Hughes, chief executive at Alzheimer's Society, said the charity was   
   working with PHE to develop the tools. But he said that for those who were   
   worried about their memory, their priority was quick assessment and timely   
   access to good care and    
   support.   
      
   Last month health officials introduced a new scheme which means GPs will be   
   paid £55 for every extra patient diagnosed with dementia in the next five   
   months.   
   Leading doctors said the initiative was an "ethical travesty" but officials   
   insisted the scheme was necessary to boost low rates of diagnosis in this   
   country, with just half of patients with dementia receiving a diagnosis.   
      
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