Dementia talking point: Scientists reveal how signs are detected nine years before diagnosis

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A new study finds that it may be possible to detect signs of dementia up to nine years before a diagnosis.

The findings, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, mean that high-risk patients could be screened in the future to help identify those who might benefit from early interventions to reduce their risk of developing dementia-related illnesses.

They can also help select the right ones for clinical trials of new therapies.

“When we looked at the patients’ histories, it became clear that they were showing some cognitive impairment several years before their symptoms were sufficient enough to prompt a diagnosis,” said study author Nol Swaddiwudhipong, a junior physician at the University of Cambridge.

“The impairments were often subtle, but across a number of aspects of cognition. This is a step towards us being able to screen those who are most at risk – for example, people over 50 or those with high blood pressure or who do not exercise.” adequate sports – and intervention at an early stage to help them reduce their risk.”

For the study, researchers analyzed data from a UK Biobank database and identified problem-solving and number recall as two early signs that patients may be developing dementia.

Senior author Dr Tim Reitman, also from the University of Cambridge, said: “People should not be overly anxious if, for example, they are not good at remembering numbers.

“Even some healthy individuals naturally score better or worse than their peers. But we would encourage anyone who has any concerns or notices their memory or memories are getting worse to speak to their GP.”

People from UK Biobank data who went on to develop Alzheimer’s scored lower compared to healthy individuals when it came to problem-solving tasks, reaction times, remembering number lists, potential memory (our ability to remember to do something later) and pair matching.

The researchers found that this was also the case for people who developed a rare form of dementia known as frontotemporal dementia.

Not remembering numbers may be an early sign of dementia

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

According to the study, people who had Alzheimer’s disease were more likely than healthy adults to have had a depression in the past 12 months.

David Thomas, Head of Policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “It’s increasingly clear that the best opportunity to influence the course of the diseases that cause dementia lies with intervention in its early stages.

Health services do not routinely offer the tests needed to detect changes in brain function that occur before symptoms are noticed, such as those hinted at in this study.

In fact, the NHS cannot currently guarantee early and accurate diagnosis for people with dementia – more than a third of people over 65 with dementia go undiagnosed.

He added: “It is now more important than ever that NHS services reflect our growing understanding of the importance of early detection and diagnosis.

“We must make sure that people with dementia do not fall through the cracks at the time when treatment or risk reduction interventions are most effective.”

Additional reporting by PA

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