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

Introduction: 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).

Methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Discussion: 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.