Younger People With Dementia (Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease)

Although the risk of dementia increases with age, many thousands of people under the age of 65 have received a diagnosis of dementia. There are a number of terms used to describe the onset of dementia in younger people. They include:

• Younger Dementia
• Working Age Dementia
• Early Onset Dementia
• Younger People With Dementia

Roughly a third of young people with dementia have Alzheimer's disease. Other types of dementia that are common in younger people include:

• Frontotemporal dementia
• Vascular dementia
• Korsakoff's syndrome
• Lewy body dementia
• Huntington's disease

Conditions such as thyroid disorders, medication side effects and interactions, brain tumors, and subdural hematomas can cause symptoms of dementia in younger people but may be reversible if identified and treated promptly. 

As symptoms of dementia occur before the age of 65 and can, very rarely, be as early as the mid-thirties, younger people with dementia have a number of very specific issues. Most, if not all, will be employed and will have financial commitments such as mortgages. They may have young families. They will probably be fit and active. Specifically, they may struggle to find a specialist service that is equipped for the needs of early-onset dementia.

Relatively few specialist services exist for younger people with dementia.

One of the first problems for younger people with Alzheimer's disease is confusion over diagnosis. Often the early symptoms of dementia can appear similar to depression, for example. As symptoms develop the family doctor has to make a decision about where to turn for more specialist advice. Depending on where you live you may then be referred to a psychiatrist, a geriatrician, a neurologist or various combinations of health professionals.

Specialist groups like the Alzheimer's Association campaign for better services and are able to provide support and advice for young men and women with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.

• Do You Have Early Onset Alzheimer's? Signs of Younger Dementia at Work
• Coping with Younger Onset Dementia at Work
• What Factors Increase the Risk of Younger Dementia in Males?

Edited by: Esther Heerema, MSW, Alzheimer's/Dementia Expert