Five early dementia symptoms you’ll notice before memory loss – expert says

While dementia is often associated with memory loss, there are other symptoms of the condition that can appear first and are easier to detect, according to experts.

Alzheimer’s Research UK has warned that cases of dementia are set to triple by 2050 worldwide, affecting 150 million people. With no cure currently available for dementia, early detection is crucial.

Dementia expert Dr Byron Creese has outlined some lesser-known early signs of dementia. He emphasised that while memory loss is a common symptom, it’s “just one of a number of neuropsychiatric symptoms.”

Dr Creese said: “It is important to look out for behavioural changes such as agitation, aggression, depression, anxiety and apathy, as well as social withdrawal, socially inappropriate behaviour, impulsive behaviour and weird changes in behavior that were not there before.”

He further explained that most people with Alzheimer’s, the most common type of dementia, experience these behavioural changes. Therefore, they serve as ‘the first red flag’ and something to be vigilant about,.

In addition to the previously mentioned changes, the National Health Service (NHS) advises to watch out for other symptoms, such as “memory loss, difficulty concentrating, finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks, such as getting confused over the correct change when shopping, struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word, being confused about time and place, and mood changes.”