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A study by the University of Oulu and the University of Eastern Finland found that people who developed Alzheimer's disease before the age of 65 accumulated a wide range of health problems, particularly during the five years preceding diagnosis. Compared with matched controls, they were more likely to experience depression, dizziness, headaches, traumatic brain injuries, epilepsy, cerebrovascular disorders, thyroid diseases and problems related to heavy alcohol use. Tinnitus and hearing loss were already more common six to 10 years before diagnosis.

One of the study's most striking findings concerned cardiovascular risk factors, which, alongside advanced age, are among the best-known risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. In contrast to late-onset Alzheimer's disease, high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia were not more common among people with early-onset Alzheimer's disease than among the control group.

The study examined diseases and health conditions occurring during the 15 years preceding an Alzheimer's disease diagnosis in people who developed the disease before the age of 65. The work is published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia.

The researchers found no significant differences in morbidity 11 to 15 years before diagnosis, suggesting that identifiable changes begin to emerge mainly closer to disease onset. The findings indicate that early-onset Alzheimer's disease may involve mechanisms that differ, at least in part, from those underlying late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

"Our findings support the view that early-onset Alzheimer's disease is not simply a younger-age version of late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

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