Tokyo, 29 September, /AJMEDIA/
A medical expert has expressed concern over the time it takes to diagnose dementia in Japan, which averages about 16 months after a patient’s cohabitants begin noticing changes.
Recognition of the condition comes too “late from a specialist’s perspective,” Katsuya Urakami, director of the Japan Society for Dementia Prevention, said.
Noting that common symptoms for dementia can begin to show even three to five years before diagnosis, he said people can recover from mild cognitive impairment “with appropriate measures.”
The survey by Taiyo Life Insurance Co showed it took 16.2 months for a diagnosis, including an average 11.6 months to be seen by a doctor.
It cited forgetfulness as the most common symptom noticed by cohabitants of suspected dementia sufferers, followed by the inability to manage money or medication and “poor recollection” of past events.
The results were released on Sept. 19 ahead of Alzheimer’s Day on Sept 21.
Urakami said the delay in receiving a diagnosis may be caused by not knowing which hospital to go to, or hesitancy by the suspected patient to take the step of finding out whether they have dementia.
The online survey collected responses from 1,000 people in their 30s through their 70s who have lived for over six months with a family member who was diagnosed within the past five years with dementia.
