Post by Terry S. Singeltary Sr. on Sept 14, 2014 9:37:53 GMT -6
Twice as many cases of early dementia than was thought
Charity calls for more help for younger people with dementia as new figures disclose twice as many cases as was thought among those aged between 30 and 65
Charity calls for more help for younger people with dementia as new figures disclose thousands of cases among those aged between 30 and 65
Surveys have found that dementia is the most feared condition among those aged 55 and over Photo: Alamy
Laura Donnelly By Laura Donnelly, Health Editor
9:00PM BST 06 Sep 2014
More than twice as many people in the UK have dementia before the age of 65 than was previously thought, new figures show.
A report due to be published this week says that 42,000 people are now estimated to be suffering early onset dementia, including thousands of cases among those in their 40s, and more than 700 cases among those in their 30s.
The new statistics also show the condition is slightly more common among men than women.
Experts said doctors too often missed symptoms of dementia in younger people, assuming they were too young to be suffering from the condition. They said services and society needed to do more to help those coming to terms with a diagnosis of dementia.
The figures, due to be published tomorrow, come from a state of the nation report by the Alzheimer’s Society, the London School of Economics and the Institute of Psychiatry, which will show the cost of dementia to the NHS and social services.
Previous estimates had suggested that just 17,000 cases of dementia involve younger people. But the new figures suggest 42,325 people below the age of 65 are currently suffering from such conditions – representing roughly five per cent of all cases of dementia. Three quarters of cases are among those aged between 60 and 65, but cases can occur among those in their 50s, 40s and even in their 30s.
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive at Alzheimer’s Society said: “For too long dementia has been perceived as a natural part of ageing which only affects the oldest of the old in our society.
“Say the word Alzheimer’s and many people picture a frail, elderly person in a care home. The risk of developing dementia does increase with age, but the reality is that dementia is caused by diseases of the brain that don’t discriminate. “
Surveys have found that dementia is the most feared condition among those aged 55 and over.
Mr Hughes said: “Many people will be coming to terms with the symptoms while still in work, perhaps looking after children and paying a mortgage. Too often we hear of people reporting memory loss to their doctor in mid-life, but being misdiagnosed because they are considered too young to have dementia. “
He said services need to ensure that younger adults were able to access specialist treatment and support.
The new estimates suggest that of the 42,325 cases of early-onset dementia in the UK, 21,519 cases are in men while 20,806 are in women. Around 32,000 of the cases involve those aged 60 to 65, with 7,700 cases among those in their 50s, 2,010 cases among those in their 40s, and 707 cases among those in their 30s, the figures show.
While Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia among the elderly, in those under the age of 65, it represents just one in three cases. In some cases, there is a family history of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Among younger people, the second most common cause is vascular dementia, which occurs when there are problems in the blood supply to the brain. One in five cases of dementia in the under 65s are caused by this.
Around one in ten cases of dementia in younger people are alcohol-related, and 10 per cent are caused by dementia with Lewy bodies, a build up of tiny protein deposits in the brain .
A further 12 per cent are caused by front-temporal dementia, which is a more common cause of dementia among those aged between 45 and 65 than among dementias in older people, and often relates to a family history of the disease. Rarer forms of dementia – linked to conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington’s disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - also explain a higher proportion of dementias in younger people than they do in the elderly.
The report also forecasts that the number of people with early-onset dementia is set to rise by 20 per cent over the next four decades, with more than 50,000 cases expected by 2051.
Susan Hulme, from Camarthenshire, South Wales, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease last year, at the age of 59. She said she had been struggling with memory problems for three years, which had been attributed to stress, or sinus problems.
When she visited her GP last year, and found herself unable to recall the reason for her visit, she was referred to a memory clinic, who made the diagnosis, and prescribed medication which can slow its impact.
Ms Hulme, a former civil servant, said: “In a way it felt like a relief to get the diagnosis, because I knew something was wrong for several years, I had been really struggling with my memory, and with a kind of fuzzy feeling that was worst in the mornings – but it was a real shock that it was Alzheimer’s disease, I thought that was something that only came with old age.”
She had already taken voluntary redundancy, after suffering what she had thought was stress.
Telling people about her diagnosis was one of the most difficult parts of coming to terms with the condition, she said, calling for more funding of services for younger people, to provide support.
“I don’t think most people realise this is something that could happen at this age. Telling my partner and my children was one of the most difficult things to do,” she said.
www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/laura-donnelly/11077334/Twice-as-many-cases-of-early-dementia-than-was-thought.html
www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=2697
snip...
see full text and more here ;
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Twice as many cases of early dementia than was thought Alzheimer’s Society, the London School of Economics and the Institute of Psychiatry
betaamyloidcjd.blogspot.com/2014/09/twice-as-many-cases-of-early-dementia.html
Charity calls for more help for younger people with dementia as new figures disclose twice as many cases as was thought among those aged between 30 and 65
Charity calls for more help for younger people with dementia as new figures disclose thousands of cases among those aged between 30 and 65
Surveys have found that dementia is the most feared condition among those aged 55 and over Photo: Alamy
Laura Donnelly By Laura Donnelly, Health Editor
9:00PM BST 06 Sep 2014
More than twice as many people in the UK have dementia before the age of 65 than was previously thought, new figures show.
A report due to be published this week says that 42,000 people are now estimated to be suffering early onset dementia, including thousands of cases among those in their 40s, and more than 700 cases among those in their 30s.
The new statistics also show the condition is slightly more common among men than women.
Experts said doctors too often missed symptoms of dementia in younger people, assuming they were too young to be suffering from the condition. They said services and society needed to do more to help those coming to terms with a diagnosis of dementia.
The figures, due to be published tomorrow, come from a state of the nation report by the Alzheimer’s Society, the London School of Economics and the Institute of Psychiatry, which will show the cost of dementia to the NHS and social services.
Previous estimates had suggested that just 17,000 cases of dementia involve younger people. But the new figures suggest 42,325 people below the age of 65 are currently suffering from such conditions – representing roughly five per cent of all cases of dementia. Three quarters of cases are among those aged between 60 and 65, but cases can occur among those in their 50s, 40s and even in their 30s.
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive at Alzheimer’s Society said: “For too long dementia has been perceived as a natural part of ageing which only affects the oldest of the old in our society.
“Say the word Alzheimer’s and many people picture a frail, elderly person in a care home. The risk of developing dementia does increase with age, but the reality is that dementia is caused by diseases of the brain that don’t discriminate. “
Surveys have found that dementia is the most feared condition among those aged 55 and over.
Mr Hughes said: “Many people will be coming to terms with the symptoms while still in work, perhaps looking after children and paying a mortgage. Too often we hear of people reporting memory loss to their doctor in mid-life, but being misdiagnosed because they are considered too young to have dementia. “
He said services need to ensure that younger adults were able to access specialist treatment and support.
The new estimates suggest that of the 42,325 cases of early-onset dementia in the UK, 21,519 cases are in men while 20,806 are in women. Around 32,000 of the cases involve those aged 60 to 65, with 7,700 cases among those in their 50s, 2,010 cases among those in their 40s, and 707 cases among those in their 30s, the figures show.
While Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia among the elderly, in those under the age of 65, it represents just one in three cases. In some cases, there is a family history of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Among younger people, the second most common cause is vascular dementia, which occurs when there are problems in the blood supply to the brain. One in five cases of dementia in the under 65s are caused by this.
Around one in ten cases of dementia in younger people are alcohol-related, and 10 per cent are caused by dementia with Lewy bodies, a build up of tiny protein deposits in the brain .
A further 12 per cent are caused by front-temporal dementia, which is a more common cause of dementia among those aged between 45 and 65 than among dementias in older people, and often relates to a family history of the disease. Rarer forms of dementia – linked to conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington’s disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - also explain a higher proportion of dementias in younger people than they do in the elderly.
The report also forecasts that the number of people with early-onset dementia is set to rise by 20 per cent over the next four decades, with more than 50,000 cases expected by 2051.
Susan Hulme, from Camarthenshire, South Wales, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease last year, at the age of 59. She said she had been struggling with memory problems for three years, which had been attributed to stress, or sinus problems.
When she visited her GP last year, and found herself unable to recall the reason for her visit, she was referred to a memory clinic, who made the diagnosis, and prescribed medication which can slow its impact.
Ms Hulme, a former civil servant, said: “In a way it felt like a relief to get the diagnosis, because I knew something was wrong for several years, I had been really struggling with my memory, and with a kind of fuzzy feeling that was worst in the mornings – but it was a real shock that it was Alzheimer’s disease, I thought that was something that only came with old age.”
She had already taken voluntary redundancy, after suffering what she had thought was stress.
Telling people about her diagnosis was one of the most difficult parts of coming to terms with the condition, she said, calling for more funding of services for younger people, to provide support.
“I don’t think most people realise this is something that could happen at this age. Telling my partner and my children was one of the most difficult things to do,” she said.
www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/laura-donnelly/11077334/Twice-as-many-cases-of-early-dementia-than-was-thought.html
www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=2697
snip...
see full text and more here ;
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Twice as many cases of early dementia than was thought Alzheimer’s Society, the London School of Economics and the Institute of Psychiatry
betaamyloidcjd.blogspot.com/2014/09/twice-as-many-cases-of-early-dementia.html