Time to diagnosis in young-onset dementia as compared with late-onset dementia.
BACKGROUND
The extent to which specific factors influence diagnostic delays in dementia is unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare duration from symptom onset to diagnosis for young-onset dementia (YOD) and late-onset dementia (LOD) and to assess the effect of age at onset, type of dementia, gender, living situation, education and family history of dementia on this duration.


METHODS
Data on 235 YOD and 167 LOD patients collected from caregivers from two prospective cohort studies were used. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed.


RESULTS
The duration between symptom onset and the diagnosis of YOD exceeded that of LOD by an average of 1.6 years (2.8 v. 4.4 years). Young age and being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia were related to increases in the time to diagnosis. Subjects with vascular dementia experienced shorter time to diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a need to raise special awareness of YOD to facilitate a timely diagnosis.
School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
D
D
van Vliet
M E
ME
de Vugt
C
C
Bakker
Y A L
YA
Pijnenburg
M J F J
MJ
Vernooij-Dassen
R T C M
RT
Koopmans
F R J
FR
Verhey
D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index