Social Factors, Age, and Health at Time of Dementia Diagnosis

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2830594?guestAccessKey=02aaa416-168d-4a8f-90d5-dbbb5c13cf3e&utm_term=022125&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_medium=referral&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8yxcuGdktVwqdxP_-viOqUeBdMGB34mtc3oyYryj5cp8VGTKhvzCRAcAcTjxabKhYklQ3vWp5N_e9X3txItquKtchbew&_hsmi=348565801&utm_content=tfl&utm_source=for_the_media The factors influencing when people are diagnosed with dementia People with lower levels of education, who live alone or in a care home, or who don’t have a close relative, are about three years older when they receive an official dementia diagnosis compared to their counterparts, according to a study published Friday in JAMA Network Open that looked at more than 107,000 people in Sweden who were diagnosed with dementia between 2018 and 2022. On top of that, people who had less than a high school education (fewer than nine years) had more comorbidities and took more medications than those with more schooling. The results could indicate that these populations tend to have more advanced disease or a poorer prognosis, the authors write. They couldn’t say what caused the delayed diagnoses, of course, but hypothesized that the risk of losing a driver’s license may play a larger role in when to seek care for people who live alone or have fewer family members.