{"id":882492,"date":"2026-10-14T22:42:32","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T22:42:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/882492\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T22:42:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T22:42:32","slug":"10-medical-conditions-show-connection-to-alzheimers-years-before-diagnosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/882492\/","title":{"rendered":"10 medical conditions show connection to Alzheimer’s years before diagnosis"},"content":{"rendered":"

New blood test may predict Alzheimer’s disease risk<\/a> <\/p>\n

Dr. Jeremy Koppel explains the breakthrough blood test for Alzheimer’s disease, detailing how it identifies abnormal protein accumulation. He clarifies the test’s current role in diagnosing symptomatic individuals.<\/p>\n

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n

Certain medical conditions may signal early-onset Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/a> several years before diagnosis, a new Finnish study suggests.<\/p>\n

Researchers found that depression<\/a>, vertigo, headaches and other conditions were more common during the five years preceding diagnosis, potentially offering clues for earlier detection.<\/p>\n

The researchers analyzed medical records from 407 people with early-onset Alzheimer\u2019s disease and 4,035 people of similar age and sex without the diagnosis, focusing on the 15 years prior to diagnosis.<\/p>\n

SUBTLE CHANGE IN HOW YOU SPEAK COULD BE EARLY SIGN OF DEMENTIA RISK, NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS<\/a><\/p>\n

The average age at diagnosis was 60. Early-onset disease is diagnosed in people under 65.<\/p>\n

The findings were published in the journal Alzheimer\u2019s & Dementia.<\/p>\n

\"Woman <\/p>\n

Certain medical conditions may signal early-onset Alzheimer\u2019s disease several years before diagnosis, a new study suggests. (iStock)<\/p>\n

The following conditions were found to be significantly more prevalent among those who were ultimately diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Vertigo (5.9% of those with diagnosis, vs. 2.1% of those who were not diagnosed)Depression (5.7% vs. 2.3%)Headache (4.9% vs. 1.6%)Stroke<\/a> (4.4% vs. 2.0%)Alcohol-related disorders (3.4% vs. 1.4%)Brain disorders (2.9% vs. 0.9%)Thyroid disorders<\/a> (2.5% vs. 0.8%)Epilepsy (2.2% vs. 0.7%)Delirium (1.5% vs. 0.1%)Ear, nose, and throat disorders (5.2% vs. 2.9%) \"Holding <\/p>\n

Researchers found that depression, vertigo, headaches and other conditions were more common during the five years preceding diagnosis. (iStock)<\/p>\n

Differences in medical conditions were most pronounced in the five years before an early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis, the study showed.<\/p>\n

3 THINGS TO AVOID IN MIDDLE AGE COULD MEAN 13 MORE YEARS WITHOUT DEMENTIA, STUDY FINDS<\/a><\/p>\n

The researchers also found that healthcare visits increased substantially among early-onset Alzheimer\u2019s patients immediately before and during the time of diagnosis, which may indicate emerging symptoms.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES<\/a><\/p>\n

“It is well-known that the neuropathological changes associated with Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/a> begin at least 15 to 20 years before clinical cognitive symptoms appear,” Suvi-Johanna Kr\u00fcger, M.D., Ph.D., study co-author and clinical lecturer at University of Oulu, said in a press release.<\/p>\n

“Most previous studies have focused on late-onset Alzheimer\u2019s disease, and considerably less is known about early-onset Alzheimer\u2019s disease.”<\/p>\n

\"PET <\/p>\n

The researchers analyzed medical records from 407 people with early-onset Alzheimer\u2019s disease and 4,035 people of similar age and sex without the diagnosis, focusing on the 15 years prior to diagnosis. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci, File)<\/p>\n

Study limitations<\/p>\n

Because the study was observational, it only establishes associations and cannot demonstrate that these conditions can reliably predict Alzheimer’s disease.<\/p>\n

“Our study cannot determine whether these conditions cause early-onset Alzheimer\u2019s disease or whether they are consequences of the underlying disease process,” Kr\u00fcger noted.<\/p>\n

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“Some conditions may represent risk factors, while others may reflect early symptoms or changes occurring during the prodromal phase of the disease.”<\/p>\n

It is also possible that genetics<\/a>, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors played a role in the patients\u2019 outcomes.<\/p>\n

“Early diagnosis is important because more treatment and support options are available in the early stages of the disease.”<\/p>\n

Also, the researchers could not independently verify all medical diagnoses<\/a> or assess the severity of the patients\u2019 disease. Additionally, the findings may not apply to populations outside Finland.<\/p>\n

Larger studies looking at disease biomarkers, genetics and clinical assessments could help determine whether there is a casual relationship between the medical conditions and Alzheimer\u2019s incidence and whether these medical patterns could be used to improve early detection.<\/p>\n

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For people experiencing any persistent medical symptoms, including issues with memory or cognition, experts say it\u2019s important to see a healthcare provider<\/a>.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n

“Early diagnosis is important because more treatment and support options are available in the early stages of the disease,” Kr\u00fcger advised.<\/p>\n

“Early diagnosis also gives individuals and their families more time to plan for the future and access appropriate support services.”<\/p>\n

Melissa Rudy is senior health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to melissa.rudy@fox.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New blood test may predict Alzheimer’s disease risk Dr. Jeremy Koppel explains the breakthrough blood test for Alzheimer’s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":882493,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[6053,4994,97,149,10545],"class_list":["post-882492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-alzheimers","tag-brain-health","tag-health","tag-lifestyle","tag-medical-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=882492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882492\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/882493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=882492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=882492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=882492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}