NHS Choices has published a review of coverage of Alzheimer’s disease in the mainstream media, which looks back over the past four years at some of the more important stories, including those that were wide of the mark.
Alzheimer’s disease is a major topic in health news, covering everything from potential cures to possible ways of preventing the disease in the first place.
With an estimated 465,000 cases of Alzheimer’s in the UK this news coverage is keenly read, not just by those whose lives have been affected by the disease, but also people worried that they might develop the disease in their later years.
Since 2007, Behind the Headlines has examined dozens of news stories on dementia and Alzheimer’s. This report, Alzheimer’s in the news [PDF 5Mb] looks back over this coverage to identify some of the more important stories and to examine those that were wide of the mark.
The report also identifies key themes and common problems in the news and aims to help readers judge future reports for themselves. Finally, we ask leading experts what research and experimental treatments they predict will be making headlines in the months and years to come.