EARLY-ONSET DEMENTIA diagnosis is associated with reduced work productivity up to 15 years before being diagnosed, according to a new study in the American Academy of Neurology.
The number of years of lower productivity was dependant on the type of dementia.
Productivity Losses up to 15 Years Pre-diagnosis
Author Eino Solje, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland, said: “Early-onset dementia affects people during their most productive years and is associated with a decreased ability to work, increased unemployment, and leaving jobs sooner than planned.
“These changes can reduce household income and contribute to broader economic impact.”
The study included 793 people diagnosed with early-onset dementia (any type of dementia diagnosed under age 65 years) at two Finnish hospitals, during a 12-year period.
They were matched by age and sex to 7,926 people without dementia.
Of the people with dementia, 421 had Alzheimer’s disease, 179 had frontotemporal dementia, 46 had alpha-synucleinopathies, which include dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia, and 147 had other forms of dementia including vascular cognitive disorders and mixed dementias.
To determine productivity loss, researchers calculated the average annual income difference between people with early-onset dementia and people without dementia (using national tax records).
They also accounted for other factors that could affect the difference, such as education level and other medical conditions (using national registries).
The study found people with early-onset dementia showed progressively increasing productivity losses up to 15 years before diagnosis when compared to people without dementia.
Over the course of the study, they faced total productivity losses of 74,577 EUR per person with early-onset dementia.
Differences by Dementia Type
Average productivity losses for people with Alzheimer’s disease began six years pre-diagnosis.
For people with frontotemporal dementia, they began 11 years pre-diagnosis.
And for those with alpha-synucleinopathies, losses were only apparent at diagnosis.
For other dementias, average productivity losses were consistently high throughout the years.
Solje added: “Our study found productivity loss was strikingly large, averaging around 12,000 EUR, or approximately 13,800 USD, per year per person, with losses beginning up to 15 years before diagnosis.
“These findings may be partly explained by delays in diagnosis, which can prolong the period of unrecognised symptoms, and they underscore the harmful, long-term socioeconomic impact of early-onset dementia.”
Reference
Kivisild A et al. Long-Term income and productivity losses in individuals with early-onset dementia: evidence from 15 years preceding the diagnosis. Neurology. 2026;DOI:10.1212/WNL.0000000000218268.
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