An Integrative Literature Review on the Nomenclature and Definition of Dementia at a Young Age

'Too young to sit at home': a qualitative study conducted among employees with young-onset dementia and their relatives

OBJECTIVES

Young-onset dementia (YOD) symptoms often first present in the workplace, resulting in work performance challenges and eventually loss of employment. This study aims to investigate the experiences, work values, and support needs of employees with YOD and their relatives.

METHOD

Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the experiences, work values, and support needs of (former) employees with YOD and their relatives. Subsequently, separate focus group discussions were conducted for employees and relatives to review and prioritize interview findings. Inductive thematic analysis was applied to both datasets.

RESULTS

A total of 15 interviews (six employees; nine relatives) and four focus group discussions (ten employees; six relatives) were conducted. Six themes emerged, with five revolving around the central theme: desire to work. The other themes represent essential contributing factors, including importance of receiving a YOD diagnosis; knowledge, awareness, and understanding regarding YOD; open communication, joint decision making, and collaboration; work adjustments, involvement, and support; phasing out work and future perspectives.

CONCLUSION

The findings highlight a strong desire to work post-YOD diagnosis, serving as a foundation for developing workplace support tools and guidance. This has the potential to help individuals with YOD preserve their self-confidence and identity while working within their capabilities.

"When she goes out, she feels better:" co-designing a Green Activity Program with Hispanic/Latino people living with memory challenges and care partners

Purpose

Utilizing a participatory approach, we sought to co-design a 12-week Green Activity Program (GAP) with Hispanic/Latino individuals living with memory challenges and their care partners, local outdoor professionals, and healthcare providers.

Methods

Participants were recruited via convenience and snowball sampling in the Bronx, New York with Hispanic/Latino persons living with memory challenges and care partners, outdoor activity professionals, and interdisciplinary healthcare providers/dementia experts. Co-design occurred iteratively with 5 focus groups and 4 individual interviews lasting 30-90 min and focused on program and research design. Sessions were recorded and transcribed. Utilizing directed content analysis data was coded using a priori codes program design and research design.

Results

21 participants completed co-design activities: (n = 8 outdoor activity professionals, n = 6 Hispanic/Latino persons living with memory challenges and care partners, and n = 7 interdisciplinary healthcare providers/dementia experts). Participant preferences for program design were captured by subcodes session duration (30-90 min), frequency (4-8 sessions), and delivery modes (in-person and phone). Participants' preferred nature activities included group exercise and outdoor crafts [crocheting], outcomes of social participation, connectedness to nature, decreased loneliness, and stewardship were identified. Preferred language for recruiting and describing the program were "memory challenges," "Hispanic/Latino," and "wellbeing." Referral pathways were identified including community-based organizations and primary care.

Conclusion

Co-design was a successful form of engagement for people living with memory challenges that enabled participants to help design key elements of the GAP and research design. Our processes, findings, and recommendations for tailoring co-design to engage Hispanic/Latino people living with memory challenges can inform the development of other programs for this population.

Dementia in Rare Genetic Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Systematic Literature Review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Knowledge of young-onset Alzheimer disease in adults with Down syndrome has greatly improved clinical care. However, little is known about dementia in rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorders (RGNDs). In this review, a comprehensive overview is provided of reports on dementia and cognitive/adaptive trajectories in adults with RGNDs.

METHODS

A systematic literature review was conducted in Embase, Medline ALL, and PsycINFO on December 6, 2022. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021223041). Search terms for dementia, cognitive and adaptive functioning, and RGNDs were combined using generic terms and the Orphanet database. Study characteristics and descriptive data on genetic diagnosis, clinical and neuropathologic features, comorbidities, and diagnostic methods were extracted using a modified version of the Cochrane Data Extraction Template.

RESULTS

The literature search yielded 40 publications (17 cohorts, 23 case studies) describing dementia and/or cognitive or adaptive trajectories in adults with 14 different RGNDs. Dementia was reported in 49 individuals (5 cohorts, 20 cases) with a mean age at onset of 44.4 years. Diagnostics were not disclosed for half of the reported individuals (n = 25/49, 51.0%). A total of 44 different psychodiagnostic instruments were used. MRI was the most reported additional investigation (n = 12/49, 24.5%). Comorbid disorders most frequently associated with cognitive/adaptive decline were epilepsy, psychotic disorders, and movement disorders.

DISCUSSION

Currently available literature shows limited information on aging in RGNDs, with relatively many reports of young-onset dementia. Longitudinal data may provide insights into converging neurodevelopmental degenerative pathways. We provide recommendations to optimize dementia screening, diagnosis, and research.

An analysis of the contents of the young-onset dementia helpline: profiles of clients who consulted the helpline themselves

BACKGROUND

Young-onset dementia (YOD) community care requires personalised approaches. Yet, the specific details of YOD consultations are unclear. This study explored how initial consultations correlate with client profiles.

METHODS

Data from regional YOD helplines were used to analyze the main characteristics of people living with YOD or who had concerns about the possibility of YOD (n = 132). Among several categorical variables, the following were used for analysis: age group, sex, type of living arrangement, employment status, presence of dementia, and content of the consultation. To identify groups of items that frequently occur together, strongly connected rules were identified using association rule analysis with the a priori algorithm. To focus on the characteristics of clients, rules related to client characteristics were extracted based on the type of consultation.

RESULTS

A total of 51 rules were identified for the consultations. These rules fell into two categories: (1) consultations for medical matters, which mainly involved employed individuals with undiagnosed dementia, and (2) other consultations on daily life or work, which mainly involved individuals diagnosed with dementia and were characterised by the influence of sex. These rules indicate the importance of medical involvement in confirming the diagnosis and specific individualised care following diagnosis for people living with YOD.

CONCLUSION

Clients with or without a dementia diagnosis were consulted differently in the YOD helplines. Before receiving a diagnosis, medical matters were the main theme of consultations, whereas after receiving a diagnosis, adjustments to daily life or work were the main themes. The results of this study suggest that the needs of people living with YOD and the services they require may vary depending on their backgrounds.

Evaluation of the SPAN intervention for people living with young-onset dementia in the community and their family caregivers: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness of the SPAN-intervention, a psychosocial intervention aiming at improving a sense of usefulness and engaging in meaningful activities, for community-dwelling people living with young-onset dementia (YOD) and their family caregivers.

METHODS

A cluster-randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups (SPAN-intervention vs. care as usual) with assessments at baseline and five-month follow-up was performed. Sixty-one persons living with YOD and their family caregivers were included (SPAN-intervention group: n = 35; care as usual group: n = 26). Outcomes included, for the person living with YOD, empowerment (operationalized by self-management abilities using the SMAS-30; primary outcome), quality of life, neuropsychiatric symptoms, disability, apathy; and, for the family caregiver, quality of life, emotional distress, sense of competence. Data were analyzed using linear mixed models.

RESULTS

We found no statistically significant effects of the SPAN-intervention on empowerment, nor on the secondary outcome measures for persons living with YOD or their family caregivers.

CONCLUSION

Although the SPAN-intervention may provide concrete opportunities to engage in activities and stimulate reciprocity, such as meaningful social activities, this study did not demonstrate intervention effects. Additional qualitative evaluations may provide more insight into the implementation process and experiences of people living with YOD and their family caregivers.This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02937883).

Young-onset dementia in memory clinics in the Netherlands: Study design and description of PRECODE-GP

The disease trajectory and healthcare requirements of patients with young-onset dementia (YOD) differ from those of older patients. Accurate data about YOD is crucial to improve diagnosis and optimize care. PRECODE-GP aims to set up a prospective national database of patients with YOD to gain insight into the occurrence and characteristics of patients with YOD in memory clinics in the Netherlands. The national database includes data from dementia patients aged <70 years at diagnosis, collected by local memory clinics (MCs). Data included demographic information, clinical variables, and (etiological) diagnoses. Between July 2019 and December 2022, 781 patients with a mean age of 62±6y at diagnosis (range 37 to 69y) were included from 39 MCs. Most (n = 547,70%) were diagnosed with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Patients with Frontotemporal lobe dementia (FTD, n = 87, 11%) were youngest (61±6.0y). Over half (55%) of patients were experiencing symptoms for ≥2 years. We initiated a Dutch national YOD database to improve diagnosis and care for this underrepresented and vulnerable patient group. The database provides a basis for future in-depth studies on YOD.

Recent research advances in young-onset dementia

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Young-onset dementia (YOD) refers to a dementia for which symptom onset occurs below the age of 65. This review summarizes the recent literature in this area, focusing on updates in epidemiology, diagnosis and service provision.

RECENT FINDINGS

In the last year, internationally, the prevalence of YOD was reported as 119 per 100 000, but this may vary according to population types. Although the commonest causes of YOD are Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), there is increasing recognition that YOD is diagnostically and phenotypically broader than AD and FTD. YOD may be due to many other diseases (e.g. Huntington's disease, vascular dementia) whereas accumulation of the same protein (e.g. amyloid protein) may lead to different phenotypes of Alzheimer's disease (such as posterior cortical atrophy and behavioural-variant/frontal-variant AD). This heterogeneity of phenotypic presentation is also seen in YOD due to known genetic mutations. Biomarkers such as plasma and cerebrospinal fluid proteins, neuroimaging and genetics have shown promise in the early identification of YOD as well as providing further understanding behind the overlap between psychiatric and neurodegenerative conditions occurring in younger people. The management of YOD needs to consider age-specific issues for younger people with dementia and their family networks together with better integration with other health services such as aged, disability and improved access to services and financial assistance.

SUMMARY

These findings emphasize the need for early identification and appropriate age-specific and person-centred management for people with young-onset dementia.

Childhood Dementia: A Collective Clinical Approach to Advance Therapeutic Development and Care

Childhood dementias are a group of over 100 rare and ultra-rare pediatric conditions that are clinically characterized by chronic global neurocognitive decline. This decline is associated with a progressive loss of skills and shortened life expectancy. With an estimated incidence of one in 2800 births and less than 5% of the conditions having disease-modifying therapies, the impact is profound for patients and their families. Traditional research, care, and advocacy efforts have focused on individual disorders, or groups classified by molecular pathogenesis, and this has established robust foundations for further progress and collaboration. This review describes the shared and disease-specific clinical changes contributing to childhood dementia and considers these as potential indicators of underlying pathophysiologic processes. Like adult neurodegenerative syndromes, the heterogeneous phenotypes extend beyond cognitive decline and may involve changes in eating, motor function, pain, sleep, and behavior, mediated by physiological changes in neural networks. Importantly, these physiological phenotypes are associated with significant carer stress, anxiety, and challenges in care. These phenotypes are also pertinent for the development of therapeutics and optimization of best practice management. A collective approach to childhood dementia is anticipated to identify relevant biomarkers of prognosis or therapeutic efficacy, streamline the path from preclinical studies to clinical trials, increase opportunities for the development of multiple therapeutics, and refine clinical care.

Diagnosis and Care Use for People with Young-Onset Dementia in Primary Care in the Netherlands

BACKGROUND

Timely diagnosis and adequate care is important for persons with young-onset dementia (YOD) and their caregivers, due to the high impact of the disease. Initiating care can be difficult for the general practitioner (GP) and other healthcare professionals.

OBJECTIVE

Provide insight in the care use of persons with YOD and identify factors influencing care use.

METHODS

A primary care register was used for this study. Information on the care use of persons with YOD was extracted from the GPs written notes. Information entailed time until start of care use, reasons and factors influencing the GP's decision, and reasons and factors influencing actual care use were included. Analyses included quantitative explorative descriptive analyses, and qualitative manifest content analyses.

RESULTS

75 persons with YOD were included in this study. The main reason for GPs to refer for diagnosis was concerns of caregivers. After diagnosis, 72% of the persons were assigned a case manager, 42.7% received day care, and 44% were admitted to a long-term care facility. A higher percentage of persons without a case manager was admitted to a long-term care facility (64%) compared to the persons with a case manager (36%). Reasons for not initiating care were reluctancy of the persons with YOD or their caregivers, the person deceased, or because the GP did not refer for care.

CONCLUSION

Care use differed between persons due to different needs and reasons. Although most persons with YOD receive care in the years after diagnosis, there are still factors that could be improved.

Behind closed doors. A case study exploring the lived experiences of a family of a person with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia

Objective

The behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia is characterized by profound changes in personality and behavior that often start before the age of 65 years. These symptoms impact family life, particularly if (adult) children live at home. In research on young-onset dementia or frontotemporal dementia, the family itself is hardly ever a unit of analysis. Insight in the perspectives of different family members from the same household helps to obtain a deeper understanding of the complex impact of the symptoms on family dynamics.

Methods

This case study explored the perspectives of one family having a relative with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia living at home. Over the course of 4 months, different family members were individually interviewed twice. Two authors independently performed a directed content analysis.

Results

The family consisted of a father, mother, and three adult children. Around 3 years before the interviews the father was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.

The main category identified was the change in family dynamics over the disease trajectory. Three subcategories characterized the changing family dynamics, namely (a) the change in existing roles, relationships and interaction patterns in the family due to early symptoms, (b) a redefinition of roles and responsibility in the family once the diagnosis was established, and (c) the formation of new roles, relationships and interaction patterns in the family by organizing post-diagnostic support at home.

Conclusion

Symptoms of the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia have a complex and profound impact on family dynamics and change existing roles, relationships, and interaction patterns. Psychosocial support may help families by accounting for individual differences in involvement, coping, and bereavement. This may help to create a sense of mutual understanding between family members that could potentially strengthen their relationship. This may help families to deal with the difficult challenge of organizing care for a relative with frontotemporal dementia who lives at home.

Pre-Diagnostic Symptoms of Young-Onset Dementia in the General Practice up to Five Years Before Diagnosis

Background:

Young-onset dementia (YOD) has many underlying etiologies, leading to a large heterogeneity in first symptoms. This makes it difficult for general practitioners (GPs) to recognize YOD.

Objective:

Identify early symptoms that are more common in the pre-diagnostic phase of YOD.

Methods:

We performed a case-control study nested in a primary-care registry on 89 cases and 162 matched controls, where we compared symptoms of people with YOD up to 5 years before diagnosis to their matched control group without YOD. The variables included in this study were International Classification of Primary Care codes and symptoms extracted from written GP notes and categorized in groups. We used Generalized Equation Estimation to analyze symptom’s time-trajectories and logistic regression and ROC-curves to analyze differences in number of symptom categories reported.

Results:

Cognitive symptoms were more common in people with YOD 5 years before diagnosis, affective symptoms 4 years before diagnosis, social symptoms 3 years, behavioral symptoms 2 years, and daily functioning disturbances 1 year before diagnosis. The ROC-curve suggested that reporting two or more symptom categories at the GP gave the best trade-off between sensitivity (85%) and specificity (77%), for the highest percentage of correctly diagnosed persons.

Conclusion:

This study showed people with YOD present differently than people without YOD. However, it may still be difficult for GPs to use these symptom categories to distinguish people with YOD, since the symptoms also occur in people with other diseases. A combination of reported symptom categories increases the probability of an underlying cause of YOD.

Behavioural and psychological symptoms of early-onset and late-onset Alzheimer's disease among Chinese adults: analysis of modifiable factors

BACKGROUND

To conduct a comprehensive comparison of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in Chinese people with early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) and late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) and analyse the factors of differences.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of 93 EOAD and100 LOAD and their caregivers in China from November 2018 to May 2019.

RESULTS

The total Neuropsychiatric Inventory score was significantly higher in LOAD. A higher level of agitation in EOAD was related to a lower quality of life of caregivers and the emotional expression of ignoring people with dementia. Higher euphoria scores in LOAD were associated with reduced negative coping by caregivers and reduced stability and predictability at home.

CONCLUSION

The early identification and management of specific BPSD of EOAD and LOAD by family members and health professionals may improve the quality of care and life for people with dementia and that of caregivers.

Provisional consensus on the nomenclature and operational definition of dementia at a young age, a Delphi study

OBJECTIVES

Dementia at a young age differs from late onset dementia in pathology and care needs. This requires further research to improve the understanding of this group, support and service provision. Aim of current study is to reach consensus on the terminology and operational definition (i.e., age-related criteria and possible causes) of dementia at a young age, to aid further research.

METHODS

A classical Delphi technique was used to transform opinions into group consensus by using an online survey. In three rounds statements regarding (1) terminology, (2) age-related criteria, and (3) aetiologies that can be considered as causes of dementia at a young age were sent to international experts in the field to give their opinions and additional comments on the statements.

RESULTS

Forty-four experts responded and full consensus was reached on 22 out of 35 statements. Young-onset dementia emerged as the term of preference. Provisional consensus was found for the use of age 65 at symptom onset as preferred cut-off age. Consensus was reached on the inclusion of 15 out of 22 aetiologies and categories of aetiologies as potential cause for dementia at a young age.

CONCLUSIONS

A clear term and operational definition have been reached. Although beneficial for conducting future research to gain more insight in pathology and care needs of young people living with dementia, still consensus about some details is lacking. To reach consensus about these details and implications for use in research and clinical practice, the organisation of an in person consensus meeting is advised.

Reimagining Postdiagnostic Care and Support in Young-Onset Dementia

Although dementia has a profound impact in general, young-onset dementia causes additional problems and challenges as people are affected in their prime years. Awareness has increased that people with young-onset dementia and their families have specific care needs and dedicated services are necessary to accommodate those needs. However, in many countries, age-appropriate care and support for people with young-onset dementia is still largely unavailable. In this special article, barriers as well as facilitators for the development of postdiagnostic care and support in young-onset dementia are addressed. Drawing from the experiences in the Netherlands, the establishment of an appropriate infrastructure has proven a corner stone in service development in young-onset dementia. The establishment of a center at the national level for the development and dissemination of knowledge and affiliated regional centers that coordinate and offer care and support at the regional level has helped to reimagine, redefine, but more importantly also rearrange, postdiagnostic care and support in young-onset dementia in the Netherlands. This has resulted in care standards for service provision in young-onset dementia that have been incorporated in the dementia standard at the national level. Also, a quality hallmark has been developed to guide the arrangement of age-appropriate services at the local level. Moreover, specific training programs are in place for health care professionals involved in young-onset dementia. To be able to prioritize topics in research for the upcoming years, a scientific agenda has been established. The strong collaboration between organizations that provide a voice for people with dementia, care providers and research centers, that all strive to support people to live well with young-onset dementia has boosted these developments and may inspire other countries searching for ways to improve postdiagnostic care and support in young-onset dementia.