Early-Onset Dementia Strips Years of Earnings Before Diagnosis
A Finnish registry study shows people who develop early-onset dementia incur substantial pre-diagnostic productivity and earnings losses, totaling about €74,577 (~$86k) per person and averaging around €12k per year. The timing of these losses varies by pathology: frontotemporal dementia begins about 11 years before diagnosis, Alzheimer's about 6 years prior, and alpha-synucleinopathies show declines only at diagnosis, highlighting diagnostic delays and broader socioeconomic impact. The study, which followed 793 individuals with EOD and 7,926 controls, advocates workplace cognitive screening and early interventions; findings are associative and funded by Roche.