AI Article Synopsis
- Semantic dementia (SD) features progressive loss of semantic knowledge and can occur in both early and late onset, leading to potential misdiagnosis as Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- A study of 74 individuals found that 35.1% had late-onset SD (≥65 years), with no major clinical differences from early-onset SD, yet notable differences in cognitive abilities compared to AD patients.
- Identifying late-onset SD through specific cognitive tests and early personality changes can improve disease management and education, highlighting the need for better differentiation from AD.
Article Abstract
Background: Semantic dementia (SD) is characterized by progressive semantic anomia extending to a multimodal loss of semantic knowledge. Although often considered an early-onset dementia, SD also occurs in later life, when it may be misdiagnosed as Alzheimer disease (AD).
Objective: To evaluate late-onset SD in comparison to early-onset SD and to AD.
Methods: We identified 74 individuals with SD and then compared those with late-onset SD (≥65 years of age) to those with early-onset SD (<65) on demographic and clinical features. We also compared a subgroup of 23 of the late-onset SD individuals with an equal number of individuals with clinically probable AD.
Results: Twenty-six (35.1%) of the SD individuals were late onset, and 48 (64.9%) were early onset. There were no differences between the two groups on clinical measures, although greater asymmetry of temporal involvement trended to significance in the late-onset SD group. Compared to the 23 AD individuals, the subgroup of 23 late-onset SD individuals had worse performance on confrontational naming, irregular word reading, and face recognition; however, this subgroup displayed better verbal delayed recall and constructions. The late-onset SD individuals also experienced early personality changes at a time when most individuals with AD had not yet developed behavioral changes.
Conclusions: Approximately one-third of SD individuals may be late onset, and the differentiation of late-onset SD from AD can lead to better disease management, education, and prognosis. SD may be distinguished by screening for disproportionate changes in reading, face recognition, and personality.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7291842 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/WNN.0000000000000229 | DOI Listing |
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