Signs of dementia may be detectable nine years before diagnosis – study

It may be possible to spot signs of dementia as early as nine years before a diagnosis is made, according to scientists.

It is possible that in the future at-risk people could be screened to help select those who could benefit from interventions or help identify patients suitable for clinical trials for new treatments.

Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association was published by researchers at Cambridge University.

For some people who go on to develop Alzheimer's disease, memory and thinking problems can begin up to nine years before they receive a diagnosis.

He said: "This opens up the possibility of screening programmes in the future to help identify people at risk and who may benefit from interventions and to identify more people suitable for clinical trials for new dementia treatments."

When we looked at the histories of the patients, it became clear that they were showing signs of cognitive impairment several years before their symptoms became obvious. There were impairments across a number of aspects of cognitive functioning.

It's a step towards being able to screen people who are at greatest risk, such as people over 50 with high blood pressure or people who don't exercise, and intervene at an earlier stage to help them reduce their risk.

Researchers analysed data from the UK Biobank and found impairments in several areas, such as problem solving and number recall, years before patients received an official diagnosis.

There are very few effective treatments for Alzheimer's. The underlying issue may have started years or even decades earlier because the condition is often diagnosed only once symptoms appear.

It can already be too late for patients to change their course in clinical trials.

It was not known if it could be possible to detect changes in brain function before symptoms appeared.

Researchers collected data from a range of tests, including problem solving, memory, reaction times and grip strength, as well as data on weight loss and gain, and the number of falls experienced.

Researchers were able to see if any signs were present at baseline when they first collected the data.

When it came to memory and problem solving, people who went on to develop Alzheimer's scored worse than healthy people. They were more likely to have had a fall in the previous year.

The senior author said that people should not be concerned if they are not good at remembering numbers. Some people will score better than others. We would encourage anyone who is concerned about their memory or recall to get in touch with their doctor.