The majority of people with Alzheimer’s are 65 and older; however, research shows that nearly 200,000 Americans in their 30’s have what is known as younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease or early-onset Alzheimer’s. Getting an accurate diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s is uncommon since doctors usually don’t look for Alzheimer’s disease in younger people.

It is important to note that individuals with early-onset Alzheimer’s, including those who inherit these rare deterministic genes (familial Alzheimer’s disease) may be in any stage of dementia and will begin to experience memory problems that disrupt daily life while in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.

What to Expect With Early-Onset Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that eventually results in a slow decline of cognitive memory, comprehension, and reasoning skills. The most common sign of the disease, especially in the early stage, is forgetting important dates, events, times, or seasons. This is most often the case with recently learned information or their short-term memory.

Patients on this stage will tend to ask for the same information over and over, have trouble following or joining a conversation and find it increasingly difficult to concentrate or complete simple tasks. Early detection is vital to determine if the symptoms are due to Alzheimer’s or some other treatable condition.