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The road to diagnosis of early-onset dementia: why does it take longer than late-onset dementia?
As the number of patients with dementia praecox continues to increase globally, this public health issue cannot be ignored. Dementia praecox refers to dementia that develops before the age of 65 and is a syndrome that encompasses a variety of remarkable cognitive declines. Among these symptoms, progressive decline in executive function, learning, language, memory, or behavior is particularly significant.
Diagnosis of dementia praecox is often challenging because the diversity of symptoms and blind spots in knowledge about traditional cognitive impairment make standardization regarding the age of early onset inconsistent.
The etiology and epidemiology of dementia praecox
Symptoms of dementia praecox can be caused by a number of different causes, including degenerative, autoimmune or infectious processes. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia praecox, followed by frontotemporal dementia and vascular dementia. Alzheimer's disease accounts for approximately 40% to 50% of cases.
According to recent research, there are an estimated 3.55 million people aged 30 to 64 living with dementia praecox worldwide, and this number will triple by 2050.
Risk factors
Traditional risk factors for dementia praecox include diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. Other chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular, respiratory or digestive disorders, are also thought to be associated with the development of dementia praecox.
The association between low socioeconomic status and the development of early-onset dementia is more significant than that of late-onset dementia, which requires urgent attention.
Diagnostic Challenges
Although there is a clear age cutoff, this cutoff may actually create a certain artificial cut when diagnosing dementia praecox. Research shows that the average time to diagnosis for early-onset dementia is 4.4 years, compared with 2.8 years for late-onset dementia. The discrepancy has sparked calls for more rapid diagnosis.
The diagnosis of dementia praecox requires multiple considerations, including detailed medical history investigation, neuroimaging examination, behavioral testing and genetic testing.
The course and prognosis of dementia praecox
Symptoms in patients with early-onset dementia progress more quickly and are often accompanied by more extensive neurological damage than those with late-onset dementia. Studies have shown that survival predictions for patients with dementia praecox are often positively correlated with age of early onset, with average survival times ranging from 6 to 10 years.
Deaths from dementia praecox are mostly caused by respiratory diseases, such as pneumonia, or cardiovascular events and cerebrovascular diseases.
Final Thoughts
Delay in the diagnosis of dementia praecox not only affects the patient's quality of life, but also puts tremendous pressure on the patient's family and society. As society's awareness of dementia praecox increases, can diagnostic and treatment processes be improved to help those facing this challenge?
