Dementia can strike at an early age, and it may be hard to recognise the symptoms

Many people aren’t overly concerned when an octogenarian occasionally forgets the best route to a favourite store, can’t remember a friend’s name or dents the car while trying to parallel park on a crowded city street. Even healthy brains work less efficiently with age, and memory, sensory perceptions and physical abilities become less reliable.

But what if the person is not in their 80s but in their 30s, 40s or 50s and forgets the way home from their own street corner? That’s far more concerning. While most of the 5.3 million Americans who are living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia are over 65, some 200,000 are younger than 65 and develop serious memory and thinking problems far earlier in life than expected.

By Jane E Brody © 2022 The New York Times

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Source: New York Times/my

Read More: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/wellness/dementia-can-strike-early-age-and-it-may-be-hard-recognise-symptoms-299181