Struggling at work and being less productive could be a warning sign of early-onset dementia more than a decade before a diagnosis is made, a study suggests.
Early-onset dementia is when the debilitating disease strikes before 65, causing a premature deterioration of a patient’s emotional and professional lives. Often, it has no apparent cause.
Younger patients typically wait years for a diagnosis because the disease is not normally searched for in those younger than 60.
But now, researchers in Finland say the condition could be detected up to 15 years earlier by tracking work performance.
In a study of nearly 800 early-onset dementia patients and 7,000 healthy individuals, researchers found those who had early-onset dementia earned $13,800 less per year on average than others from a decade-and-a-half before their diagnosis, which they said was due to them being less productive.
Overall, researchers estimated that patients lost about $86,000 in wages over the course of the 12-year study due to the condition.
Dr Eino Solje, a neurologist who led the research, said: ‘Early-onset dementia affects people during their most productive years and is associated with a decreased ability to work, increased unemployment and leaving jobs sooner than planned.
‘These changes can reduce household income and contribute to broader economic impact.
‘Our study found an association between reduced work productivity and early-onset dementia up to 15 years before diagnosis.’
Struggling at work and being less productive could be a warning sign of early-onset dementia more than a decade before a diagnosis is made, a study suggests
He added: ‘These findings may partly be explained by delays in diagnosis, which can prolong the period of unrecognized symptoms, and they underscore the harmful, long-term socioeconomic impact of early-onset dementia.’
Many early-onset dementia patients say their symptoms begin at work. Warning signs include struggling to remember appointments or how to do something they have done for a long time before. Some also struggle to concentrate or follow conversations.
In later stages, patients also suffer from severe mood swings, deepening confusion about time, place and life events and suspicion of family or friends.
There is no cure for the disease, but medications are available that may help to slow its progression.
Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.
About 200,000 Americans suffer from early-onset dementia, estimates suggest, but that number is rising. Latest health insurance data shows claims for the condition rose 200 percent between 2013 and 2017.
In the study, published in the journal Neurology, researchers tracked 793 early-onset dementia patients for 12 years before their diagnosis.
Overall, 421 patients were struggling with Alzheimer’s disease, while 179 had frontotemporal dementia and nearly 200 others had other forms of dementia, including vascular dementia.
They were matched to 7,000 healthy individuals with a similar age, background and wages over the same period. In the analysis, data was adjusted for factors such as salaries and medical conditions, which can affect earnings.
Broken down by dementia type, researchers found those suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s had lower earnings compared to healthy peers six years before their diagnosis.
Those with frontotemporal dementia had lower earnings from 11 years before their diagnosis.
The study did not conclusively prove that lower wages compared to peers show someone has dementia, only that this is a potential warning sign. Other factors may also be behind the results.
It isn’t clear what causes early-onset dementia, but scientists say about one in ten people have genes that raise their risk. Those with relatives who have the disease are at a higher risk.
Other factors such as a brain injury from an early stroke or heavy alcohol use may also raise someone’s risk of the disease.
The disease is diagnosed by doctors who assess patients for warning signs of the disease.
Some patients do continue to work for years after a diagnosis, doctors say, but others stop.
Those with early-onset dementia live for about nine years after their diagnosis.
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