Dementia discovery means millions with Alzheimer’s could have been misdiagnosed

A clinical trial has discovered a new type of dementia and has revealed that millions of people may have been misdiagnosed as having Alzheimer’s Disease – which shares similar features but is distinctly different.

The study, published in the medical journal, Brain, states that Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, or LATE, shares similar symptoms to Alzheimer’s.

However, whilst LATE mimics clinical features of Alzheimer’s, it also has very distinct differences, for example, it is thought to develop much more slowly than Alzheimer’s.

This could have significant implications for dementia care in the future. More precise diagnosis could mean more tailored dementia care, in a way that already happens in cancer care.

The findings could also offer some kind of explanation as to why finding a dementia cure has failed so far.

Dr James Pickett, head of research at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Dementia is an extremely complex condition, that may be caused by many different underlying diseases. Though at an early stage, this research is taking a real step forward by proposing a new sub-type of dementia.

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