September 20, 2013

Young-Onset Dementia Unanswered Questions and Unmet Needs

From jamanetwork.com

Young-Onset Dementia
Unanswered Questions and Unmet Needs

Deborah A. Levine, MD, MPH1,2,3

1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor 
2Department of Internal Medicine, Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan 
3Department of Neurology and Stroke Program, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor 


Published online August 12, 2013

We think of dementia as an illness of the old. Regan described the senility of her father, King Lear, as “the infirmity of his age.”1 However, dementia can affect younger or middle-aged adults. Approximately 200 000 Americans younger than 65 years have dementia.2 Young-onset dementia (YOD) represents 4% to 10% of all dementia cases.2 By convention, YOD is defined as dementia occurring before age 65 years, although this age criterion is a sociological construct.

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