Early onset Alzheimer’s: Everything you need to know about the rare form of the disease seen in younger people

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Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.

It's mostly seen in those over the age of 65. 

Even though Alzheimer’s disease mostly affects older individuals, it is sometimes seen in younger people. 

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Anyone under the age of 65 who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease has a form called "early onset."

Here are some commonly asked questions about early onset Alzheimer's disease answered. 

People who get Alzheimer's disease before the age of 65 have a form called "early onset." (iStock)

1. What is early onset Alzheimer’s?
2. What age is considered early onset Alzheimer's?
3. What are the signs of early onset Alzheimer’s?
4. What are the stages of early onset Alzheimer’s?

1. What is early onset Alzheimer’s?

Early onset Alzheimer’s describes younger people who are diagnosed with the disease. A very small number of people have this form of Alzheimer’s. 

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Only around 5% of all Alzheimer’s cases are considered to be early onset.

Since age is such a big risk factor for the disease, it is overwhelmingly seen in older people versus younger people.

Typically, Alzheimer's disease is seen in older people rather than younger. (iStock)

2. What age is considered early onset Alzheimer's?

Anyone who gets Alzheimer’s before the age of 65 is considered to have early onset. This tends to be people in their 40s and 50s, although Alzheimer’s can be seen in someone in their 30s.

3. What are the signs of early onset Alzheimer’s?

The main difference between someone with early onset Alzheimer’s and someone who develops it later in life is their age.

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Some signs of Alzheimer’s are memory loss that affects everyday life, having a hard time planning, difficulty completing tasks that are familiar, vision problems, difficulty conversing with others, losing things frequently, having poor judgment, withdrawal from social activities and changes in mood.

There isn't much of a difference between the symptoms associated with early onset versus late onset Alzheimer's. (iStock)

As the disease progresses, more symptoms arise and the symptoms worsen over time. 

This is true regardless of the age at which someone gets the disease.

4. What are the stages of early onset Alzheimer’s?

Similar to how the signs of early onset Alzheimer’s are the same as for someone who has late onset Alzheimer’s, the stages of the disease are the same. 

Alzheimer’s disease progresses with three different stages. 

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The first stage is the early or mild stage. The second is the middle or moderate stage. The last stage of the disease is the late or severe stage.

Whatever form of Alzheimer's disease a person has, they are going to need lots of care and support, especially as the disease progresses. (iStock)

As a person with Alzheimer’s moves through the stages of the disease, they are going to need an increased level of care with each stage since symptoms worsen over time.