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Neurologists at a ‘memory clinic’ in China have diagnosed a case of Alzheimer’s in a 19-year-old patient. This is the youngest person ever to be diagnosed with the dreaded disease. The teenager reported memory loss from the age of seventeen, with his cognitive abilities steadily declining over the next two years until a diagnosis was finally made.

Medical imaging showed shrinking in the hippocampus, and his spinal fluid has tested positive for the tell-tale markers of Alzheimer’s. Although commonly seen as an old person’s disease, early onset of the disease in patients under 65 years old accounts for about 10% of all cases.

Almost all patients under 30 years of age can have their Alzheimer’s explained by pathological gene mutations, putting them into the category of familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD).

Before this diagnosis, the youngest person with Alzheimer’s was 21. This patient’s case is also peculiar as there is no history of Alzheimer’s or dementia in the teenager’s family. He also had no history of injury, disease or infections that could have explained the cognitive decline. It was for this reason that the clinic, as a last resort, tested for Alzheimer’s.

Two years before being referred to the memory clinic, the teenage patient began struggling to focus in class. Reading also became difficult and his short-term memory declined. Oftentimes, he couldn’t remember events from the day before, and he was always misplacing his belongings.

The decline in his mental acuity became so bad that the teen was unable to continue with school, although he is so far still able to live by himself. Tests, however, reveal that his ‘full-scale’ memory is 87% lower than most people his age.

Researchers at the Capital Medical University in Beijing believe his condition is unusual enough that it opens up a new way of thinking about Alzheimer’s.

“Exploring the mysteries of young people with Alzheimer’s disease may become one of the most challenging scientific questions of the future,”

Check out this very insightful video of a 23-year-old Alzheimer’s sufferer below:

The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

[source:sciencealert]