It takes an average of 3.5 years to diagnose patients with dementia following their first symptoms, according to researchers.
Early diagnosis and intervention is crucial in managing symptoms of dementia and developing an effective treatment course. However, experts fear that delays in vital treatment may occur due to confusion over symptoms, stigma and inconsistent approaches by medical professionals, among other things.
Dementia is a condition that impacts’s a person’s thinking, memory, and behavior. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, and more than 6 million Americans are affected by the progressive brain disorder.
Symptoms include issues with memory, attention, communication, and vision problems.
“Timely diagnosis of dementia remains a major global challenge, shaped by a complex set of factors, and specific healthcare strategies are urgently needed to improve it. Other studies estimate that only 50 to 65 percent of cases are ever diagnosed in high-income countries, with many countries having even lower diagnostic rates,” Dr. Vasiliki Orgeta, an associate professor at University College London’s Division of Psychiatry, said in a statement.
“Timely diagnosis can improve access to treatments and for some people prolong the time living with mild dementia before symptoms worsen,” she added.
The university’s researchers also found that, for some, that diagnosis time may be even longer. For patients with early-onset dementia, it may take as long as four years. Early-onset dementia refers to dementia in someone younger than age 65.
Those with frontotemporal dementia, the most common form for those under 60, are also were “consistently associated with a longer interval to diagnosis.”
The conclusions were the result of an analysis of 13 previously published international studies that reported data on 30,257 participants. The studies included medical records and interviews of patients or family members.
Notably, while data on racial disparities was limited, one of the studies reviewed found that Black patients tended to experience a longer delay before diagnosis.
The authors noted that missed symptoms mistaken for aging, limited access to specialist care, language differences, and low public awareness could have an impact on diagnosis time.
Orgeta said that their work highlights “the need for clear conceptual framework on time to diagnosis in dementia.”
“To speed up dementia diagnosis, we need action on multiple fronts. Public awareness campaigns can help improve understanding of early symptoms and reduce stigma, encouraging people to seek help sooner,” she said. “Clinician training is critical to improve early recognition and referral, along with access to early intervention and individualised support so that people with dementia and their families can get the help they need.”
A test has recently been developed that scientists say could predict dementia up to nine years before diagnosis, with 80 percent accuracy.
The study is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of global evidence examining time to diagnosis in dementia. It was published this week in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
