Dementia in people age 30-64 is more common than we ever imagined

• One in 20 cases of dementia occurs in people under the age of 65, according to a new study.
• Diagnosing young-onset dementia can be difficult.
• Symptoms can be misinterpreted as anxiety, depression, or stress.

Dementia doesn’t only strike people entering their golden years.

Researchers estimate that one in 20 cases of dementia occurs in people under age 65; up to 5% of all cases emerge when people are at the prime of their lives.

The research, which appears in the journal JAMA Neurology, finds that nearly four million people worldwide are currently living with young-onset dementia — cases that begin between the ages of 30 and 64.

The U.S. makes up for around 3% of all young-onset dementia cases worldwide, with an estimated 175,000 people currently having the condition, according to the study.

That number might seem small, but just because it’s rare doesn’t mean it’s not a problem.

Young-onset dementia is rarely diagnosed

David Knopman, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said that young-onset dementia, while rare, is something that should be on the radar of both doctors and patients because it can come about early in life.

Its uncommonness makes it easy to forget, especially for medical professionals. Knopman said that most doctors — including neurologists — don’t really have experience diagnosing it because symptoms are often categorized as manifestations of depression or anxiety.

“Most memory complaints in younger patients probably are related to those conditions,” Knopman said, who wrote an editorial on the study.

The cognitive symptoms are related to thinking, reasoning, judgment, and learning. Typically, symptoms are “pervasive” and get more troubling as time goes on, Knopman added. 

“Young-onset dementia is a particularly disheartening diagnosis because it affects individuals in their prime years, in the midst of their careers, and while raising families,” Knopman wrote.

“Most dementia care is geared for older patients, and as a consequence, services are rarely available to address the needs of someone diagnosed with dementia in their 50s who has dependent children at home and a spouse who must continue working.”

In the study, researchers found that the highest prevalence of young-onset dementia was among patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia were second and third.

How to get help if you think you have early-onset dementia

Dementia is a term attributed to a decline in mental ability that impacts daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Early-onset Alzheimer’s symptoms can often be attributed to stress, and to make matters worse, people living with it could be in any stage of dementia — early, middle, or late stage.

The Alzheimer’s Association said that if you’re experiencing memory problems, you should have a medical evaluation from a doctor that specializes in Alzheimer’s disease. These could involve cognitive tests, a neurological exam, or brain imaging.

It can also be helpful to write down symptoms of memory loss or other cognitive difficulties so you can share them with your doctor.