This article highlights five often overlooked symptoms of early-stage dementia that individuals should be aware of. Recognizing these signs, such as personality changes, difficulty driving, loss of smell, sleep disturbances, and financial problems, can facilitate early diagnosis and intervention, potentially delaying the progression of dementia and improving quality of life.
Health experts are urging individuals to be vigilant about early signs of dementia, which can manifest as subtle issues like sleep disturbances. Early detection allows families and medical professionals to intervene, potentially delaying the onset of severe symptoms and enabling individuals to maintain a higher quality of life. The UK's Alzheimer's Society emphasizes that while there is currently no cure for dementia, recognizing early signs and symptoms is crucial.
With clinical trials yielding promising results, an accurate and timely diagnosis will be vital for identifying individuals eligible for disease-modifying treatments when available. The society also stresses the importance of supporting individuals living with dementia through various means, even in the absence of drugs to slow disease progression.The New York Times reports on five symptoms that could indicate early-stage dementia, often overlooked. Memory loss, particularly for Alzheimer's disease, is widely recognized, but it's not the sole indicator. Other critical signs are frequently disregarded, yet they can be key for early diagnosis. While some symptoms might have other explanations or occur sporadically, if they persist or multiple symptoms appear concomitantly, professional medical evaluation is recommended. These five potential signs of dementia should not be ignored:1. **Personality Changes:** A study led by Angelina Sutin, a professor of behavioral sciences at Florida State University, found that individuals with dementia often exhibit personality changes before cognitive decline becomes apparent. Decreases in extroversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness were noted, with these changes accelerating as the disease progresses. These shifts can be observed in daily behavior, such as social withdrawal or a diminishing social circle, which, according to Sutin, are easier to spot than memory impairment. 2. **Difficulty Driving:** According to Ganesh Babulal, a neurology professor at Washington University in St. Louis, difficulty driving can be one of the first indicators of cognitive decline, potentially appearing years before other symptoms. Driving involves multiple cognitive systems, and any impairment can heighten the risk of accidents. While age-related physical issues like impaired vision or medication side effects can also contribute, it's crucial to be mindful of these changes. 3. **Loss of Smell:** Loss of smell is one of the initial indicators of neurodegeneration in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and Parkinson's disease. The olfactory system, which governs this sense, is often impaired years or even decades before other symptoms manifest. Unlike hearing or vision loss, which are risk factors for dementia but not caused by it, loss of smell is an early symptom of these diseases. Each disease impacts the sense of smell differently, and in Alzheimer's, smells are detected but confused, while in Parkinson's and dementia with Lewy bodies, they are not perceived, which may be key to early detection. 4. **Difficulty Sleeping Well:** Sleep disturbances are common in old age, but drastic changes, such as waking up at 3 am or not being able to stay awake during the day, may be signs of dementia. Regions of the brain that regulate sleep, such as the brainstem, are among the first to be affected in Alzheimer's, causing disturbances years before memory problems. In dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's, a REM sleep behavior disorder may arise, where the person acts out their dreams with movements or screams, due to damage to the brain cells that control paralysis during that phase. This is not simple sleepwalking, according to neurologist Ronald Postuma, as patients often seek help after being alerted by a partner to violent or unusual behavior in their sleep. These patterns may be early signs of neurodegenerative diseases. 5. **Financial Problems:** While financial difficulties are common and can stem from a variety of causes, they may be an early indicator of dementia when accompanied by other cognitive or behavioral changes. These issues are not a direct cause of the disease, but their sudden or unusual onset, such as forgetting to pay bills, making impulsive purchases, or trusting unreliable individuals, may suggest disturbances in judgment and brain function. This is particularly true in cases like frontotemporal dementia, where judgment is impaired early on. Neurologist Winston Chiong explains that financial management involves multiple brain regions, making it one of the first areas where cognitive problems become apparent
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