The amount of government money spent on dementia in the UK has risen significantly in recent years, but it is still too low when compared with the economic and personal impact the condition has, a study published in the online journal BMJ Open has found.

Researchers assessed central government and charity research expenditure on the UK’s leading causes of death: cancer, coronary heart disease, dementia and stroke. In 2012, all four conditions accounted for over half (55%) of all UK deaths and for 5.5 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs), which combine the number of years of life lost to early death, ill health, or disability.

The amount of funding was compared with the population impact of the individual conditions: prevalence, the number of years lost to early death, ill health, or disability, and the total health and social care costs.

Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research at Alzheimer’s Society, acknowledged improvements in funding for dementia research, but said the condition is still neglected compared with other major health conditions. He said: “Investments in research into cancer and heart disease have delivered treatments and even some cures and we need to see the same in dementia.”

Alzheimer’s Society recently pledged at least £100 million towards dementia research in the next decade, but Dr Brown said this will not be enough: “If we're going to improve the quality of care, develop better treatments and ultimately cure dementia we need politicians to pledge continued commitment and set out an ambition to create a step change in research funding.”