Lesser-known forms of dementia...

An article in The Guardian on 20 July 2024 indicated that “lesser-known forms of dementia are widely undiagnosed.” According to their health and social affairs correspondent Anna Bawden, according to official data “up to 100,000 people in England may be living with undiagnosed forms of dementia that present symptoms such as depression and hallucinations... NHS data published for the first time on Thursday shows the prevalence of two less common forms of the condition: dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia.” The shocking figures suggest that there are “between 73,000 and 109,000 people over 65 who have dementia with Lewy bodies in England, but only 15,000 have a recorded diagnosis.” Meanwhile, there are thought to be 15,000 people living with frontotemporal dementia (which makes up 2% of dementias and is “thought to be higher in younger people”) “but barely 3,000” have been formally diagnosed. James White, head of public affairs and campaigns at the Alzheimer’s Society is quoted as suggesting that “the new government must prioritise dementia by increasing diagnosis rates and setting new ambitious targets. It can’t be right that a third of people in England living with dementia don’t have a diagnosis.”