Dementia faster in young

PEOPLE diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at a younger age will experience faster symptom progression than older counterparts, a study has found, potentially causing their support systems to fall behind.

The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and led by Flinders University, looked to understand how the age when someone’s dementia symptoms began had an impact on the disease’s overall progression.

The analysis shows younger people with Alzheimer’s disease experience faster symptom progression on average than older people, with their memory, executive function and other important brain functions deteriorating more quickly.

“The more we know about how the disease will progress and at what rate symptoms will manifest, the better we can assist with prognosis and care planning,” study author Dr Monica Cations said.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, alongside vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia, which together account for more than 92 per cent of cases worldwide.