Younger sufferers of Alzheimer’s may not display the signs of memory loss that are usually associated with the disease, research has found.
A study led by University College London analysed the records of nearly 8,000 people attending Alzheimer’s clinics across the US and found one in four of those under 60 did not report memory loss as a first sign that they had the condition.
All had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and notes had been made of the symptoms they had first noticed in the early stages of the disease.
The average age of the group was 75, with the youngest aged 36 and the oldest 110.
Although memory loss was the most common first symptom in all age groups, the results showed younger people were more likely than their older counterparts to report non-memory problems first.
These included difficulty with judgement or problem-solving, problems with language, or a loss of visual or spatial awareness.
In people under 60, a quarter (26 per cent) reported that their first symptom was not memory loss, while one in five (20 per cent) people in their 60s first noticed symptoms. This fell to one in 10 (10 per cent) for people in their 70s, and six per cent for those 80 years or older.
They found younger people were more likely to experience depression or other behavioural symptoms such as anxiety. Older people were more likely to have had psychosis or no behavioural symptom at all, compared to those who were younger.
The exact cause of Alzheimer’s is unknown but the risk of developing it increases with age, if there is a family history, or if severe head injuries have been suffered previously.
Lead author Jo Barnes said: “Our results highlight the many different ways Alzheimer’s can affect the brain, causing problems with several different cognitive processes, not just memory.
“Brain imaging studies have suggested that the disease may be more likely to affect different parts of the brain in younger people, and this may help to explain some of the different symptoms seen in our study. Importantly, however, even in older groups not all people with Alzheimer’s report memory loss as their first warning sign of the disease.
“An awareness of symptoms other than memory loss is vital for helping to diagnose Alzheimer’s, particularly for those people whose early symptoms are not typical of the disease. Our findings suggest a need for doctors to use tests that do not solely or disproportionately focus on memory, but which also take into account some of the different ways that Alzheimer’s can manifest.”
Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “All too often Alzheimer’s is thought of as being a disease characterised only by memory loss, but this study shines a light on some of the other distressing symptoms people with the disease can experience.
“A greater understanding of these symptoms could not only help people receive a diagnosis earlier, but could also aid public awareness of the disease and help improve support services. Further research to investigate why younger people are more likely to experience different symptoms in the early stages of Alzheimer’s could provide useful insights into the disease.”
The research is published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.