The Early Onset Dementias: A Study of Clinical Characteristics and Service Use

The clinical characteristics and the level of service use were studied in a cohort of 200 patients referred for the investigation of presenile dementia, having had the onset of symptoms before the age of 65. The most common diagnoses given were Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and depressive pseudodementia. The level of psychiatric morbidity was high, depression insomnia, anxiety and aggression being the most common symptoms. As regards rate of service use, 22% of the Liverpool patients were in residential care after 1 year of follow-up, in contrast to 8% initially. We conclude that there is a need for specialized multidisciplinary services for this group of patients, both diagnostic and supportive.