Accounts for 8% of all dementia… Accurate differential diagnosis is important
Increased from 17,772 in 2009 to 63,231 in 2019
The number of patients with early-onset dementia, also known as ‘young dementia,’ has increased 3.6 times over the past 10 years.
As of 2021, patients with early onset dementia in Korea account for approximately 8% of all dementia patients. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of dementia patients under the age of 65 increased from 17,772 in 2009 to 63,231 in 2019, 10 years later.
Early-onset dementia is a type of dementia that begins before the age of 65 and mainly occurs in people in their 40s and 50s. It has a variety of clinical symptoms, such as speech and motor disorders, as well as impaired cognitive function, so accurate differential diagnosis, including neurological and genetic tests, is important.
Because it occurs in economically active age groups, the patient’s career is interrupted, and dependents are likely to face financial difficulties as a result, resulting in a serious social and economic burden.
Accordingly, the National Institute of Health has begun research to prepare prevention and management measures by identifying the accurate clinical and genetic characteristics of domestic patients.
Starting in 2021, we have established and operated a cohort of patients with early-onset dementia based on a network of 31 hospitals nationwide.
Through the first phase of the project for three years until 2023, about 400 patients were recruited, mainly patients with Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia, which are representative early-onset dementias, and advanced neurological examinations, blood tests, and brain imaging tests for participating patients were conducted. We are collecting available resources, analyzing clinical symptom characteristics, and conducting genome analysis research.
In addition, we conduct follow-up examinations every year to observe not only the patient’s clinical symptoms but also changes in biomarkers, and are laying the foundation for predicting the course and prognosis of the disease. There is an urgent need to build a foundation. We are recruiting about 400 patients. did.
Currently, we are collecting advanced resources through neurological examinations, blood tests, and brain imaging tests on participating patients, and conducting clinical symptom characteristic analysis and genome analysis research.
Park Hyun-young, Director of the National Institute of Health, said, “Early-onset dementia is an important issue that the nation must take the lead in solving along with senile dementia.” He added, “The National Institute of Health continues to produce evidence to prepare disease prevention and management measures through continuous cohort research. “The resources and clinical information collected through the study will be made public and distributed so that more researchers can utilize them,” he said.
Copyright © News The Voice Healthcare. Reproduction and redistribution prohibited.
2024-03-13 06:19:11
#incidence #earlyonset #dementia #generation #increases
