Study links several health issues to early-onset Alzheimer’s years before diagnosis

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  A study found that several health issues were more common among people later diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

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  The conditions could appear as many as 15 years before diagnosis, and were most pronounced in the five years beforehand.

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  The analysis compared 407 people with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease with data from more than 4,000 people without progressive neurodegenerative disease.

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  The researchers did not find higher rates of high blood pressure or high cholesterol among those later diagnosed.

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  Experts cautioned that the symptoms do not prove someone has early-onset Alzheimer’s, and the reasons for the reported links remain unclear.

Who

Researchers studied 407 people with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and compared them with more than 4,000 people without progressive neurodegenerative disease.

What

The study found several health issues were more common before an early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

When

The researchers examined the 15 years before diagnosis; the conditions were most pronounced in the five years beforehand.

Where

Participants with early-onset Alzheimer’s had visited one of two memory clinics in Finland.

Why

The study examined health issues that might be linked to early-onset Alzheimer’s before diagnosis. The reasons for the links are not yet clear.

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