PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Dementia takes 3.5 years to diagnose after symptoms begin

2025-07-27
(Press-News.org) People with dementia are diagnosed an average of 3.5 years after symptoms are first noticed, or even longer (4.1 years) for those with early-onset dementia, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

The study, published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of global evidence examining time to diagnosis in dementia.

The researchers reviewed data from 13 previously published studies which took place in Europe, US, Australia and China, reporting data on 30,257 participants.

The research team was investigating the average interval between symptom onset (rated by patients or family carers using interviews or medical records) to the final diagnosis of dementia.

Lead author Dr Vasiliki Orgeta (UCL Division of Psychiatry) said: “Timely diagnosis of dementia remains a major global challenge, shaped by a complex set of factors, and specific healthcare strategies are urgently needed to improve it. Other studies estimate that only 50-65% of cases are ever diagnosed in high-income countries, with many countries having even lower diagnostic rates.

“Timely diagnosis can improve access to treatments and for some people prolong the time living with mild dementia before symptoms worsen.”

In a pooled meta-analysis of 10 of the included studies, the researchers found that it typically takes 3.5 years from the first alert of symptoms to a patient receiving a diagnosis of dementia, or 4.1 years for those with early-onset dementia, with some groups more likely to experience longer delays.

They found that younger age at onset and having frontotemporal dementia were both linked to longer time to diagnosis. While data on racial disparities was limited, one of the studies reviewed found that black patients tended to experience a longer delay before diagnosis.

Dr Orgeta said: “Our work highlights the need for a clear conceptual framework on time to diagnosis in dementia, developed in collaboration with people with dementia, their carers, and supporters.”

Dr Phuong Leung (UCL Division of Psychiatry) said: “Symptoms of dementia are often mistaken for normal ageing, while fear, stigma, and low public awareness can discourage people from seeking help.”

Professor Rafael Del-Pino-Casado, of the University of Jaén, Spain, said: “Within healthcare systems, inconsistent referral pathways, limited access to specialists, and under-resourced memory clinics can create further delays. For some, language differences or a lack of culturally appropriate assessment tools can make access to timely diagnosis even harder.”

Dr Orgeta added: “To speed up dementia diagnosis, we need action on multiple fronts. Public awareness campaigns can help improve understanding of early symptoms and reduce stigma, encouraging people to seek help sooner. Clinician training is critical to improve early recognition and referral, along with access to early intervention and individualised support so that people with dementia and their families can get the help they need.”

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Robotic space rovers keep getting stuck. UW engineers have figured out why

2025-07-25
MADISON — When a multimillion-dollar extraterrestrial vehicle gets stuck in soft sand or gravel — as did the Mars rover Spirit in 2009 — Earth-based engineers take over like a virtual tow truck, issuing a series of commands that move its wheels or reverse its course in a delicate, time-consuming effort to free it and continue its exploratory mission.  While Spirit remained permanently stuck, in the future, better terrain testing right here on terra firma could help ...

New research shows how immigration status can become a death sentence during public health crisis

2025-07-25
In the United States, immigration status has long created hierarchies within our society, where some can participate fully in public life, while others are excluded. These divisions have serious consequences for our communities, including when it comes to public health. A research project led by the University of California, Santa Cruz recently uncovered a particularly alarming example of this effect by looking back on excess deaths in California throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Alicia ...

University of Toronto Engineering researchers develop safer alternative non-stick coating

2025-07-25
A new material developed by researchers from University of Toronto Engineering could offer a safer alternative to the non-stick chemicals commonly used in cookware and other applications.  The new substance repels both water and grease about as well as standard non-stick coatings — but it contains much lower amounts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a family of chemicals that have raised environmental and health concerns.  “The research community has been trying to develop safer alternatives to PFAS for a long time,” says Professor Kevin ...

Good vibrations: Scientists use imaging technology to visualize heat

2025-07-25
Most people envision vibration on a large scale, like the buzz of a cell phone notification or the oscillation of an electric toothbrush. But scientists think about vibration on a smaller scale—atomic, even.  In a first for the field, researchers from The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have used advanced imaging technology to directly observe a previously hidden branch of vibrational physics in 2D materials. Their findings, published in Science, confirm the existence of a previously unseen class ...

More ecological diversity means better nutritional resources in Fiji’s agroforests

2025-07-25
Indigenous agroforests (food-producing agroecosystems where trees and crops grow together in forest-like environments) may offer valuable insights for addressing two of the world’s biggest challenges: declining biodiversity and rising non-communicable disease, according to research led by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers. Published in July 2025 in Global Food Security, the study found that agroforests with greater ecological diversity also offer a more nutritionally diverse food supply.  The team analyzed 48 Indigenous agroforests in Fiji using a trait-based framework. Focusing on specific plant characteristics important for ecological resilience, such as ...

New global study shows freshwater is disappearing at alarming rates

2025-07-25
New findings from studying over two decades of satellite observations reveal that the Earth’s continents have experienced unprecedented freshwater loss since 2002, driven by climate change, unsustainable groundwater use and extreme droughts. The study, led by Arizona State University and published today in Science Advances, highlights the emergence of four continental-scale “mega-drying” regions, all located in the northern hemisphere, and warns of severe consequences for water security, agriculture, sea level rise and global stability.  The research team reports that drying ...

Scientists create an artificial cell capable of navigating its environment using chemistry alone

2025-07-25
Researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) have created the world’s simplest artificial cell capable of chemical navigation, migrating toward specific substances like living cells do. This breakthrough, published in Science Advances, demonstrates how microscopic bubbles can be programmed to follow chemical trails. The study describes the development of a 'minimal cell' in the form of a lipid vesicle encapsulating enzymes that can propel itself through chemotaxis. Cellular transport is a vital aspect of many biological processes and a key milestone in ...

A little salt is good for battery health

2025-07-25
Scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST; Saudi Arabia) have uncovered a critical molecular cause keeping aqueous rechargeable batteries from becoming a safer, economical option for sustainable energy storage. Their findings, published in Science Advances, reveal how water compromises battery life and performance and how the addition of affordable salts – such as zinc sulfate – mitigates this issue, even increasing the battery lifespan by more than ten times.   One of the key determinants to the lifespan of a battery – aqueous or otherwise – is the anode. ...

Deep-sea fish confirmed as a significant source of ocean carbonate

2025-07-25
Deep-sea fish confirmed as a significant source of ocean carbonate New research sheds light on the overlooked contribution of the ocean’s most abundant fish to marine carbon cycling. The findings open new avenues for studying deep-sea carbon dynamics and may improve Earth system models. MIAMI, FL — July 25, 2025 – A new study offers the first direct evidence that deep-dwelling mesopelagic fish, which account for up to 94 percent of global fish biomass, excrete carbonate minerals at rates comparable to shallow-water species. The findings validate previous global models suggesting that marine fish are major contributors ...

How to keep kids with eating disorders home after hospital stay? Therapy

2025-07-25
Eating disorders affect more than 5% of young people, and they have one of the highest mortality rates of any mental illness.  Young patients with public health insurance have a much harder time accessing care, and they often get caught in a revolving door of hospital stays.  Researchers at UC San Francisco wondered if the cycle could be disrupted by giving outpatient therapy in the months after a first hospitalization.  They examined data from 920 California Medicaid enrollees ages ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Scientists reverse Alzheimer’s in mice using nanoparticles

‘Good’ gut bacteria boosts placenta for healthier pregnancy

USC team demonstrates first optical device based on “optical thermodynamics”

Microplastics found to change gut microbiome in first human-sample study

Artificially sweetened and sugary drinks are both associated with an increased risk of liver disease, study finds

Plastic in the soil, but not as we know it: Biodegradable microplastics rewire carbon storage in farm fields

Yeast proteins reveal the secrets of drought resistance

Psychiatry, primary care, and OB/GYN subspecialties hit hardest by physician attrition

New Canadian study reveals where HIV hides in different parts of the body

Lidocaine poisonings rise despite overall drop in local anesthetic toxicity

Politics follow you on the road

Scientists blaze new path to fighting viral diseases

The mouse eye as a window to spotting systemic disease

AI and the Future of Cancer Research and Cancer Care to headline October 24 gathering of global oncology leaders at the National Press Club: NFCR Global Summit to feature top scientists, entrepreneurs

FDA clears UCLA heart tissue regeneration drug AD-NP1 for clinical trials

Exploring the therapeutic potential of cannabidiol for Alzheimer's

We need a solar sail probe to detect space tornadoes earlier, more accurately, U-M researchers say

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Disease risk but not remission status determines transplant outcomes – new ASAP long-term results

Sperm microRNAs: Key regulators of the paternal transmission of exercise capacity

Seeing double: Clever images open doors for brain research

Inhaler-related greenhouse gas emissions in the US

UCLA Health study finds inhalers for asthma and COPD drive significant greenhouse gas emissions

A surgical handover system for patient physiology and safety

Cardiovascular health changes in young adults and risk of later-life cardiovascular disease

Nurse workload and missed nursing care in neonatal intensive care units

How to solve the remote work stalemate – dissertation offers tools for successful hybrid work

Chip-based phonon splitter brings hybrid quantum networks closer to reality

Texas Children’s researchers create groundbreaking tool to improve accuracy of genetic testing

Milken Institute, Ann Theodore Foundation announce more than $2.5 million in new funding for sarcoidosis research and launch new call for proposals

Boston University professor to receive 2025 Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award

[Press-News.org] Dementia takes 3.5 years to diagnose after symptoms begin