Alzheimer's Early Onset Prognosis

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive incurable brain disorder that causes worsening dementia. Patients eventually lose control over most mental and physical function. They typically die of malnutrition or disease within eight years after diagnosis, although some patients live much longer. Early-onset Alzheimer's is uncommon.

Prevalence

• According to the Mayo Clinic, although Alzheimer's disease is common in older people, only 5 percent to 10 percent of all Alzheimer's patients have symptoms before age 65.

Age

• Most people with early-onset Alzheimer's begin having symptoms in their 50s, according to the Mayo Clinic. An inherited form of early-onset Alzheimer's, called familial Alzheimer's disease, may begin even sooner.

Rate of Decline

• A study published in a 1996 issue of The Harvard Brain shows that neural degeneration occurs more rapidly in early-onset cases, but the degree of impairment in both forms is very similar. The Mayo Clinic agrees that evidence does not support more rapid decline in early-onset Alzheimer's.

Cognitive Effects

• Patients with early-onset Alzheimer's have more difficulties with language than people with later onset, according to the Harvard study. Early-onset patients also show more impairment in attention-related tasks.

Physical Effects

• Myoclonus, a disorder characterized by muscle spasms and twitches, is more likely in early-onset Alzheimer's disease, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Social Considerations

• The Mayo Clinic notes that admission to a nursing home may happen sooner to a patient with early-onset Alzheimer's. The spouses of these patients often are dealing with children, work and perhaps also taking care of elderly parents.