There is no cure for the degenerative condition but early diagnosis can improve a person’s quality of life
Experts are stressing the vital importance of catching dementia in its early stages. Recognising the condition quickly allows families and healthcare providers to act swiftly, potentially holding back some of the more severe symptoms, thereby improving a person’s quality of life.
The UK’s Alzheimer’s society has said: “There is currently no cure for dementia, but recognising the early signs and symptoms is still very important. With clinical trials now showing positive results, an early and accurate diagnosis will be important to find those that are eligible for disease modifying treatments when they are available.
“It’s important to also remember there are lots of ways we can support people to live well with dementia, even in the absence of drugs to slow the progression.” The New York Times reported that there are give symptoms people often suffer from early in the process – which can be overlooked.
One widely recognized symptom of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, is memory lapses. Despite its prominence as a red flag, it isn’t the only indicator worth paying attention to, reports Surrey Live.
In fact, other vital signs of dementia frequently go unnoticed, yet these signs are key to securing an early diagnosis. Even though many of these signs might sometimes be connected to unrelated issues or specific events, recurring persistence over time, or experiencing several simultaneously, should prompt you to seek medical advice.
Five symptoms of possible dementia that should not be ignored:
1. Personality changes
A study led by Angelina Sutin, a professor of behavioural sciences at Florida State University, found that people with dementia experience personality changes before they show cognitive decline. A decline in extroversion, agreeableness and responsibility was observed, changes that accelerate as symptoms of the disease progress.
These changes can be detected in everyday behaviour. For example, reduced extroversion may manifest as social withdrawal or a shrinking social circle. According to Sutin, these indicators are easier to notice than memory impairment.
2. Difficulty driving
Difficulty driving can be one of the first signs of cognitive decline, even years before other symptoms manifest, according to neurology professor Ganesh Babulal of Washington University in St. Louis.
Driving combines several cognitive systems, and any impairment can increase the risk of accidents. While age-related physical problems, such as impaired vision or medication side effects, can also play a role, it is important to be aware of these changes.
3. Loss of smell
Loss of smell is one of the first signs of neurodegeneration in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease. The olfactory system, which controls this sense, is often damaged years or even decades before other symptoms appear. Unlike hearing or vision loss, which are risk factors for dementia, but not caused by it, loss of smell is an early manifestation of these diseases.
Each disease affects the sense of smell differently: 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 behaviour 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 behaviour in their sleep. These patterns may be early signs of neurodegenerative diseases.
5. Financial problems
While financial problems are very common and may be due to a variety of causes, when they occur alongside other cognitive or behavioural changes, they may be an early sign of dementia.
Not that these problems are a direct cause of the disease, but their sudden or unusual onset, such as forgetting to pay bills, making impulsive purchases or trusting unreliable people, may indicate disturbances in judgement and brain function, especially in cases such as frontotemporal dementia, where judgement is impaired early on. According to neurologist Winston Chiong, financial management involves multiple brain regions, making it one of the first areas where cognitive problems are evident.
