Health · Medical Research · 8 hrs ago
Finnish study finds different health patterns before early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis
A Finnish study found several health problems became more common before early-onset Alzheimer’s was diagnosed.
Researchers compared health records for 407 people diagnosed at age 65 or younger with records for 4,035 people of similar age, sex and region.
In the five years before diagnosis, depression, dizziness, headaches and other conditions appeared more often among those who later had Alzheimer’s.
These conditions were still uncommon, and the study does not show that they caused the disease or can predict who will develop it.
High blood pressure and cholesterol were not more common in the future patients, unlike risks linked to Alzheimer’s in older people.
Early-onset Alzheimer’s makes up as much as 10% of cases, and earlier research cited by the team found diagnosis takes about 42 months on average, compared with 31 months for later-onset disease.
The findings suggest early-onset Alzheimer’s may have a different pattern before diagnosis, but the study does not say what changes in diagnosis or care should follow.
A Finnish study found that several health problems became more common in the five years before people were diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s.
The conditions included dizziness, depression, headaches, delirium, epilepsy and brain injuries.
High blood pressure and high cholesterol were not significantly more common in future patients than in people of the same age without neurodegenerative disease.
The study examined health records for 407 people diagnosed at age 65 or younger and 4,035 comparison group members.
Researchers said the findings suggest early-onset Alzheimer’s may not be simply a younger-age version of late-onset Alzheimer’s.
- Who
- Researchers from the University of Oulu and the University of Eastern Finland studied people diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s and a comparison group.
- What
- The study found several health problems were more common in the five years before diagnosis, while high blood pressure and high cholesterol were not.
- When
- The study was published on 2026-11-10. It examined health records from 2010 to 2021 and conditions in the 15 years before diagnosis.
- Where
- Finland, including records from Oulu and Kuopio university hospitals and national health records.
- Why
- Researchers wanted to find out whether the years before diagnosis leave a pattern in medical records.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
None of the conditions examined differed between future patients and the comparison group.
Tinnitus and hearing loss were recorded more often in future patients than in the comparison group.
Several conditions, including dizziness, depression and headaches, were more common in future patients.
Researchers examined patients sent to memory clinics at Oulu and Kuopio university hospitals.
- Future patients
- 407 people diagnosed at age 65 or younger
- Comparison group
- 4,035 people matched by age, sex and region
- Dizziness in the final five years
- 5.9% of future patients; 2.1% of the comparison group
- Depression in the final five years
- 5.7% of future patients; 2.3% of the comparison group
- High blood pressure or high cholesterol in the final five years
- 10.6% of future patients; 9.3% of the comparison group
What people are saying
Our findings support the view that early-onset Alzheimer’s disease is not simply a younger-age version of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease
Rather than the familiar cardiovascular risk factors, we observed a range of other health problems becoming more common as diagnosis approached