Early-Onset Dementia Figures Double: 42,000 People Under 65 Showing Signs Of Condition
People In Their 30s Among Thousands Showing Signs Of Early-Onset Dementia
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A new health study has shown that twice as many people in the UK, including those in their thirties and forties, develop dementia before they hit 65.
The new figures, which are due to be published on Wednesday, show that over 42,000 people are currently suffering from symptoms of early-onset dementia. A startling statistic, which more than doubles previous estimates of 17,000.
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Published in a new report, which is to be released later this week, the research shows that early-onset dementia sufferers include thousands of people in their 40s and more than 700 in their 30s.
Experts said doctors often missed the disease in younger people because of an assumption dementia sufferers are frail and elderly.
And they warned that people in their 40s and 50s are reluctant to go to their GP because they fear the stigma and discrimination of being diagnosed with dementia.
The findings come from a major new study into the illness and its cost to the country, conducted by the Alzheimer's Society, the London School of Economics and the Institutes of Psychiatry.
George McNamara, head of policy at the Alzheimer's Society, said: "Dementia isn't a disease which just affects the frail elderly. This is a disease that affects people under 60.
"Many of these 42,000 people will be in work, with children and a mortgage, which puts an added stress and an added need for support.
"But it has often been overlooked because dementia is seen as something that only affects the most elderly in society."
He called for health and social care services and employers to do more to support people living with the condition.
The figures estimate that 42,325 people under 65 are living with dementia, and around 32,000 of these cases are in people aged 60 to 65.
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Early Symptoms of Dementia
No Initiative (01 of10)
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At times everyone can become tired of housework, business activities, or social obligations. However a person with dementia may become very passive, sitting in front of the television for hours, sleeping more than usual, or appear to lose interest in hobbies. (credit:John Rensten via Getty Images)
Changes in Personality (02 of10)
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A person with dementia may seem different from his or her usual self in ways that are difficult to pinpoint. A person may become suspicious, irritable, depressed, apathetic or anxious and agitated especially in situations where memory problems are causing difficulties. (credit:fStop Images - Carl Smith via Getty Images)
Mood Changes(03 of10)
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Everyone can become sad or moody from time to time. A person with dementia may become unusually emotional and experience rapid mood swings for no apparent reason. Alternatively a person with dementia may show less emotion than was usual previously. (credit:Mike Chick via Getty Images)
Misplace Things (04 of10)
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Anyone can temporarily misplace his or her wallet or keys. A person with dementia may put things in unusual places such as an iron in the fridge or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl. (credit:Oli Kellett via Getty Images)
Problems With Keeping Track of Things (05 of10)
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A person with dementia may find it difficult to follow a conversation or keep up with paying their bills. (credit:Chris Red via Getty Images)
Increasingly poor Judgement(06 of10)
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People with dementia may dress inappropriately, wearing several layers of clothes on a warm day or very few on a cold day. (credit:Jessica Peterson via Getty Images)
Distortion of Time and Place (07 of10)
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We sometimes forget the day of the week or where we are going but people with dementia can become lost in familiar places such as the road they live in, forget where they are or how they got there, and not know how to get back home. A person with dementia may also confuse night and day. (credit:Jupiterimages via Getty Images)
Problems With Language(08 of10)
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Occasionally everyone has trouble finding the right word but a person with dementia often forgets simple words or substitutes unusual words, making speech or writing hard to understand. (credit:Jupiterimages via Getty Images)
Difficulty Performing Familiar Tasks(09 of10)
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People with dementia often find it hard to complete everyday tasks that are so familiar we usually do not think about how to do them. A person with dementia may not know in what order to put clothes on or the steps for preparing a meal. (credit:Anthony Harvie via Getty Images)
Memory Loss(10 of10)
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Declining memory, especially short-term memory, is the most common early symptom of dementia. People with ordinary forgetfulness can still remember other facts associated with the thing they have forgotten. For example, they may briefly forget their next-door neighbour's name but they still know the person they are talking to is their next-door neighbour. A person with dementia will not only forget their neighbour's name but also the context. (credit:Compassionate Eye Foundation via Getty Images)
Mr McNamara said younger people displaying symptoms were scared to seek help because they feared being written off at work and discriminated against.
He said: "Small changes in the workplace can enable people to continue to work. But the biggest challenge is overcoming the disgraceful stigma that still exists around dementia.
"A lot of people with early-onset dementia will not have a formal diagnosis and therefore not be able to access care and support.
"They may be afraid to go and ask for help knowing they may be discriminated against and end up having to leave work because of society's lack of awareness.
"These figures show that there needs to be quite a focus on the way in which health and social care, and society, responds to best support people living with dementia."
The report, which is released on Wednesday, also predicts that cases of early-onset dementia will increase to more than 50,000 by 2051.