Young is not a reason to ignore it: early-onset dementia in your 40s and 50s
Neurologist Yeon-Jeong Kim on the changes in language, judgment and behavior that can come before memory loss.
2 min read
Dementia that begins before 65 is called early-onset dementia. It can arrive in the middle of a working life, which makes it hard for the patient and for the family.
In this Sports Kyunghyang article, Dr. Yeon-Jeong Kim explains that it is not only about memory. Trouble finding familiar words, difficulty planning work or managing money, getting lost on familiar routes, or new apathy and impulsiveness can come first, depending on the cause.
Depression, sleep problems and medication can also affect thinking, so the symptoms alone are not enough to decide. Diagnosis combines a neurological exam, cognitive tests, blood tests and brain MRI, with amyloid PET or spinal fluid tests when Alzheimer's disease is suspected.
Treatment is decided by the cause and the stage, and for some early Alzheimer's patients with confirmed amyloid, anti-amyloid treatment can be considered.
This is a summary written by Kwangdong Hospital. The full article was published in Korean.
Sports Kyunghyang · 2026.10.06
