The mother of a son who was diagnosed with dementia at just 22 years of age has shared the early symptoms she couldn’t ignore.
Brit Andre Yarham was just 22 when he was officially diagnosed with a rare form of dementia, which made him the youngest patient of the condition in the UK.
Last month, he sadly passed away aged 24 and now his mother is speaking out to raise awareness of the disease.
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Yarham, from Dereham, Norfolk, in England, underwent tests which stunned doctors who discovered that, at just 22, he had the brain of a 70-year-old man.
The scans led to a diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, which is a result of protein mutation.
Described by his mom, Sam Fairbain, as having a ‘heart of gold’, she recalled how she watched her son become forgetful, often having a blank expression on his face.
Appearing on UK daytime show This Morning, Fairbain said: “Andre got his official diagnosis just before his 23rd birthday. In that time his speech went totally. He was just making noises. The last six months was when we started to see a very rapid decline.”
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Andre is among just 0.1% of the British population to be diagnosed with any form of dementia before the age of 65.
Early symptoms of dementia
According to NHS England, some of the most common early symptoms of dementia include:
- Emotional changes
- Forgetfulness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word
- Being confused about time and places
Other symptoms can include behavioural changes, often related to extreme mood swings or bouts of anxiety and depression.
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Symptoms of frontotemporal dementia
The specific form of dementia Andre was diagnosed with, frontotemporal dementia, is incredibly rare and carries a few more specific symptoms.
According to the NHS website, these include:
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- personality and behaviour changes, such as acting inappropriately or impulsively, appearing selfish or unsympathetic, neglecting personal hygiene, overeating, or loss of motivation
- language problems, including speaking slowly, struggling to make the right sounds when saying a word, getting words in the wrong order, or using words incorrectly
- problems with mental abilities, such as getting distracted easily, struggling with planning and organisation
Although there are no single tests to diagnose frontotemporal dementia, medical professionals can do an assessment of symptoms and mental abilities, as well as blood tests to rule out other symptoms. Brain scans can also show signs of dementia and help identify which parts of the brain are most impacted.
There is currently no cure for the disease or anything to slow it down, but there are treatments to help with some of the symptoms.