Dementia can develop in people up to 65 years old, warns a neurologist

Dementia is considered a disease of the elderly, but impairments in thinking, memory and other cognitive functions can also develop in younger people, up to 65 years of age. This was stated by neurologist at the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital of the Russian Ministry of Health Artur Ulyakov, RT reports.

According to the specialist, for the age range of 30–40 years this is a rare disease, so the first changes are sometimes associated with overwork, stress, depression or work pressure.

“At the same time, dementia is not an independent disease, but a syndrome that occurs with various diseases and damage to the brain. Therefore, at a young age, it is especially important to understand what exactly caused the violations,” explained Ulyakov.

Inherited diseases that can be accompanied by dementia include some forms of Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia, as well as Huntington's disease. However, having a relative with dementia does not automatically mean that the disease will be passed on to children.

“Inherited variants account for only a fraction of cases of early-onset dementia. If several close relatives in a family fell ill at a young age, the issue of genetic testing should be decided together with a specialist in medical genetics,” the doctor said.

Other causes of early cognitive impairment include diseases of the nervous system (for example, neurosyphilis, HIV, multiple sclerosis and others), brain damage (for example, in athletes), as well as metabolic and endocrine system disorders, the specialist added.

The doctor named symptoms of early dementia not only as forgetfulness, but also difficulties with planning, decision-making, speech, as well as changes in character. At the same time, in a person 30–40 years old, such problems more often indicate chronic stress, depressive disorders, sleep disorders, the effects of medications and other conditions, the expert concluded.