According to the Alzheimer's society, there are around 16,000 young people living in the UK who have been diagnosed with Dementia, a figure that most people do not really believe to be possible, as it is traditionally only considered an older person's illness.
Society also believes that this is not the true figure and it has been estimated that it could be around three times higher than this, meaning that it is possible that there are around 50,000 young people suffering with this illness.
These figures are calculated by the number of early onset dementia referrals, but because the illness is never really considered possible in the younger generation, it is very likely that most people do not go to their GP about this at an early age or stage and even if they do it is usually considered to be something else.
Although the symptoms are the same as those symptoms in an older person, because age is normally a consideration when trying to diagnose the problem the sufferer has, it is quite often overlooked as a possible reason to explain the symptoms.
It is important to take into account that when we talk about younger sufferers, we are talking about people under 65, however, it can affect anyone, at any age.
Sadly, there is very little help, awareness or indeed understanding of sufferers who develop dementia at an early age, which not only makes it difficult for the person concerned, but also for their family and loved ones who might not understand exactly what is happening and the symptoms they might be experiencing.
Once again, the age of the person can also impact on the length of time it takes to correctly identify the condition they are suffering, mainly due to the fact that there are many other possibilities taken into account before the health professional would usually consider dementia in someone under 65.
It is important that you do see a consultant, GP, Doctor or other kind of health care professional should you see any of the common symptoms and at the same time also bear in mind that just because you might be under 65, doesn't mean your symptoms are not evidence of Dementia, although in most cases, it is not.