Early-onset dementia reduces work capacity years before diagnosis

A study by the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Oulu found that early-onset dementia impairs work performance and income up to 15 years before diagnosis, reports Yle.

Researchers tracked all individuals under 65 diagnosed with dementia in North Savo and North Ostrobothnia between 2010 and 2021, comparing 800 patients with nearly 8,000 healthy controls.

Work output and earnings among dementia patients were lower than in the control group long before diagnosis. The sharpest declines were seen in frontotemporal dementia, where productivity dropped over a decade before diagnosis. Alzheimer’s-related losses began later but accelerated rapidly as diagnosis neared.

Using tax records, researchers calculated that in the year of diagnosis, the average societal loss per patient was about €12,000. Over 15 years, cumulative losses reached roughly €75,000 per individual.

Personality and behavioral changes linked to frontotemporal dementia can lead to job loss and financial strain even before the condition is recognized. Early symptoms—often mild and vague—may be mistaken for stress, burnout, or depression, but unlike those conditions, dementia symptoms persist and worsen despite rest or reduced workload.

Professor Eino Solje and doctoral researcher Ave Kivisild emphasize the need for earlier detection and targeted support for working-age patients. The study, part of a project coordinated by the National Neuroscience Center, was published in the journal Neurology.