Young-onset dementia – possible causes and effects on patients’ lives

Abstract

For years, there has been an ongoing myth that dementia diseases affect only elderly people. However, in recent years, with the development of medicine and growing awareness of “new” diseases, more and more cases of the so-called “young-onset dementia”, also known as “early-onset dementia” or even “working-age dementia” have been described. The disease can lead to job loss, changes in relationships with loved ones, and the necessity of providing constant care. The story of a 19-year-old boy from China who has been recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (Jia et al., 2023) inspired us to find out more about that condition, as there are still gaps in knowledge about that topic and a lot to discover, especially among people outside the medical environment. Despite claims that most of the information about this condition so far comprises theories, and there is still extensive research to be done, the authors decided to gather the key data and summarise them in this narrative review, with a view to raising awareness about this growing problem and about the lack of correct diagnosis, help for the patients, and the effects this condition has on the daily life of young people.