How long does it take to diagnose young-onset dementia? A comparison with late-onset dementia

Dementia occurring in young people may be difficult to recognize. We compared the time to diagnosis between young- (YOD, age < 65) and late-onset dementia (LOD).

Time between the onset of symptoms and the diagnosis was measured in YOD and LOD patients consecutively seen in a cognitive neurology clinic. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to identify determinants of time to diagnosis.

Mean time to diagnosis in 95 YOD patients was 11.2 months longer than in 73 LOD patients (p = 0.022). The delay was driven by a longer time taken by YOD patients to be seen in the specialist centre, which in turn was related to the presence of language disturbances and coexisting depression.

Young people take longer than elderly people to receive a dementia diagnosis because they take longer to be referred to dementia specialist centres. More awareness on YOD is needed in primary care and the public.