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Medical News Today
15 hours ago
- Health
- Medical News Today
Dementia may take 3.5 years to diagnose after symptoms begin, but why?
Dementia is a hard disease to diagnose for a number of reasons.A new study has found that people who have dementia are, on average, diagnosed 3.5 years after symptoms first appear. This is even longer — an average of 4.1 years after symptoms first show — for people with early onset dementia. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 57 million people around the world in 2021 were living with dementia — an umbrella term for a group of conditions that impact a person's memory and ability to think and communicate, such as Alzheimer's disease. Dementia is a hard disease to diagnose. There is currently no single test to diagnose the condition, and symptoms of dementia are very similar to those of other diseases. Additionally, for some people, their dementia symptoms are very subtle in the early stage of the disease, making it hard for a doctor to make a complete diagnosis. Over the last few years, researchers have been focusing on finding new ways to help doctors detect and diagnose dementia as early as possible. 'Timely diagnosis of dementia is crucial for several reasons,' Vasiliki Orgeta, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences at University College London, explained to Medical News Today. 'First and foremost, early detection empowers individuals and their families to plan ahead, and make informed decisions about their care.' 'From a healthcare perspective, timely diagnosis reduces the strain on healthcare systems by enabling proactive rather than reactive care,' she continued. 'As our global population ages, the prevalence of dementia is rising sharply. Timely diagnosis, therefore, is key to addressing this growing public health challenge.' Orgeta is the lead author of a new study recently published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry that reports people who have dementia are, on average, diagnosed 3.5 years after symptoms first appear. This is even longer — an average of 4.1 years after symptoms first show — for people with early onset dementia. The time between symptoms and dementia diagnosisFor this study, researchers analyzed the results of 13 previously published studies, encompassing more than 30,000 participants. Scientists focused on the average time span between when symptoms were first noticed by patients or their family members, to their dementia diagnosis. 'We decided to examine the average interval between symptom onset and final diagnosis of dementia because this timeframe has significant implications for patient outcomes, families, and the overall healthcare system,' Orgeta said. 'Despite increasing awareness, many individuals still face delays of months or even years before receiving a formal diagnosis,' she said. 3.5 years for a dementia diagnosis once symptoms beginAt the study's conclusion, researchers found that dementia diagnosis occurs, on average, about 3.5 years after symptoms begin to show. This timespan average jumped to 4.1 years for participants with early onset dementia. 'The finding that it typically takes 3.5 years to receive a dementia diagnosis — and even longer, 4.1 years, for those with early-onset dementia — highlights a critical delay in the diagnostic journey, during which individuals and their families may be living with uncertainty, and without access to the support and planning resources they need.'— Vasiliki Orgeta, PhD'These findings underscore the urgent need to improve public awareness, enhance training for healthcare providers, and streamline referral pathways,' Orgeta said. Younger age, frontotemporal dementia linked to longer diagnosis timeOrgeta and her team also discovered that participants with a younger age at symptom onset and those diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia correlated with a longer diagnosis time. 'These delays mean that many younger individuals are left without the clarity, support, or medical care they need for years,' Orgeta said. 'Our findings emphasize the need for greater awareness and education among healthcare professionals to recognize the early signs of less common dementias, particularly in younger populations. Improving early detection in these groups is essential to ensure timely support, reduce misdiagnoses, and improve long-term outcomes.' 'We plan to work closely with people affected by dementia and their families, clinicians and policymakers to develop strategies that support earlier identification and more efficient diagnostic pathways — particularly for younger individuals and those with less common forms of dementia like frontotemporal dementia,' she added. What causes a delay in dementia diagnosis? MNT also spoke with Adel Aziz, MD, FAAN, cognitive and behavioral neurologist, assistant professor of neurology at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, and memory specialist at JFK University Medical Center, about this study. 'I would like to stress that experienced clinicians rarely find the concept of delayed dementia diagnosis surprising,' Aziz commented. 'What this meta-analysis adds is a shared language — 'Time To Diagnose (TTD)' — and empirical weights for each contributing factor. By translating anecdotes into measurable variables, it empowers specialists to benchmark performance, tailor interventions, and advocate for policy change.' Aziz explained that delays in diagnosing dementia arise at multiple points: when patients and families postpone seeking help, when primary providers hesitate to refer, and when early cognitive symptoms are misattributed to aging or anxiety.'This multifaceted issue intertwines with social determinants like education, socioeconomic status, minority identity, sex, age of symptom onset, dementia subtype, and the strength of a patient's support system,' he help lower the time between first dementia symptoms and formal diagnosis, Aziz said it will require community awareness campaigns to demystify dementia signs across diverse populations, provider education programs to train frontline clinicians on early, atypical dementia presentations, policy and advocacy to advocate for insurance coverage of cognitive assessments, and new technologies such as a telehealth cognitive screening for remote areas. 'With these layers of action — spanning public education, clinical training, policy reform, and technological innovation — we can move toward a future where dementia is recognized and managed as early as possible,' he added.
Medical News Today
a day ago
- Health
- Medical News Today
Lifestyle changes in 4 areas may improve brain health, major US study finds
A program of exercise, nutrition, cognitive and social challenges, and health coaching resulted in improved cognition scores for people at risk of Alzheimer's disease and related two-year trial involved lifestyle changes only, without added participants followed the program self-guided, but those receiving the program in a structured format improved more, though all participants' cognitive scores improved.A low-cost, non-pharmaceutical lifestyle program that targeted risk factors for dementia improved the cognitive health of older at-risk adults in a major new U.S. POINTER trial was a multidimensional program involving exercise, diet, regular cognitive challenges, social engagement, and health trial involved 2,111 older people considered at risk of dementia. It compared a structured intervention program to a lower-intensity, self-guided, but similar, in the structured program exhibited significantly greater improvement in composite cognitive scores than the self-guided group after a two-year trial scores for both groups U.S. POINTER trial is a follow-up to the 2015 Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) trial. The earlier trial observed meaningful cognitive benefits resulting from a multi-domain intervention in older adults at elevated risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).Bridget Stratton of the Alzheimer's Association told Medical News Today, 'U.S. POINTER is important because it was designed as a rigorous, randomized controlled clinical trial to demonstrate whether an accessible and sustainable lifestyle intervention protects cognitive function in diverse populations in communities across the United States.''More than 30% of participants were from groups that have been historically underrepresented in dementia research,' Stratton results of the U.S. POINTER study are published in JAMA.A structured program works bestFor the structured arm of the U.S. POINTER trial, there were 38 facilitated peer team meetings over two years, with education, goal-setting, and accountability that promoted adherence to the trial's recommended behavioral aligns with what John Enwere, founder of Caringene, a Seattle-based home care company for older people, who was not involved in the study, has seen. 'I've seen clients thrive when a family member or caregiver is both engaging and thoroughly executes their personal care plan,' he told Medical News the self-guided arm, there were just six facilitated peer team meetings over two years. Participants were provided educational materials, tools to help track adherence to health plans, and general support that encouraged physical activity, a healthy diet, and cognitive and social stimulation.'The extra benefit [of a structured program] was observed regardless of sex, ethnicity, genetic risk (apolipoprotein-e4 genotype) or cardiometabolic health (blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels),' Stratton Arnold, MD, founder of Clava Health, who was not involved in the study, noted to MNT that the self-directed group 'crucially lacked the dedicated coaching team and physician follow-up afforded to the structured intervention group.''This vital distinction,' he added, 'underscores how absolutely necessary a team-based approach is for the comprehensive care of patients at risk of, or in the early stages of, cognitive impairment.''POINTER's results affirm that structure and coaching are not just nice to have, they are necessary,' Enwere POINTER trial's four interventionsThe U.S. POINTER trial's structured arm involved four types of exercise — including aerobic, resistance, stretching, and balance exercises, primarily undertaken at a community — including help with following a MIND diet, supported by peer group meetings and interventionist telephone engagement and social interaction — via cognitive training at home and regular participation in intellectually and socially involving activities in peer health coaching — involving appointments with a medical advisor every six months to review monthly blood-pressure and blood laboratory results, and this program may workU.S. POINTER demonstrates that its multimodal approach can work in patients' family homes with caregivers, but may be adapted for residents at skilled nursing pointed out, however, while care facilities might be able to manage such interventions, 'from what I've seen, they do not often have the staff ratios or consistency useful in enforcing deep lifestyle changes.''For adherence to more complex components — particularly supplementation to guide vascular and metabolic risk factors, and structured physical training — a team-based approach is likely most beneficial,' Ryan noted.'This team would ideally be physician-led, with robust support from a health coach to reinforce behaviors, and include a similarly informed and guided trainer who is acutely aware of the specific cognitive goals and physical limitations of the individual,' he said.'The magic occurs,' Enwere said, 'when the environment meets the clients where they are, physically and cognitively.'As to ideal settings, he suggested patients' homes, community centers, or a hybrid of the two, in order to leverage activities such as senior exercise classes or cooking groups.A holistic approach to treating Alzheimer'sExtensive research has been conducted on the causes and potential solutions for Alzheimer's and related dementias. However, progress has been slow. This may be attributed to a long-standing focus on pharmaceutical solutions for the is believed there are multiple pathologies that lead to ADRD, and thus, as the authors of the U.S. POINTER trial assert, 'There is a critical need for interventions that target several risk pathways simultaneously.'A recent Lancet report identified 14 modifiable ADRD risk factors.'The pharmaceutical approach to Alzheimer's has, regrettably, been largely disappointing, mired by the recent retraction of several studies due to fraud concerns, and overall showing negligible improvement or minimal impact on prevention or progression and the associated high incidence of complications and side effects, brain bleeding being one of them,' Arnold said.'My professional stance on treating Alzheimer's from a non-pharmaceutical angle is one of strong support and profound optimism,' he added.'There is certainly a time and place for medications, but only in certain stages. Medications do not address the underlying behavioral or vascular aspects of decline, a decline that can be made worse by medications.'— John EnwereArnold asserted the U.S. POINTER results, 'reinforce the core functional and integrative medicine principle of simultaneously addressing multiple contributing factors to health and disease.'
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Can women get prostate cancer? Understanding the ‘female prostate', its function, and the rare risk of Skene's gland tumours
Female prostate cancer Most people learn in biology class that the prostate is unique to men. Yet human anatomy holds a small surprise: at the front wall of the vagina sits a pair of glands, the Skene's glands, that share many features with the male prostate. They contain the same enzymes (prostate-specific antigen and PSA phosphatase), may swell or become infected, and in exceptional cases can turn cancerous. According to Medical News Today, a 2017 literature review put the lifetime risk of true 'female prostate cancer' at a fraction of one percent of all genitourinary cancers in women. Still, because symptoms mimic more common problems such as cysts or recurrent urinary-tract infections, early tumours can be missed. Knowing what the female prostate does, how cancer might develop, and when to seek testing helps demystify a condition that—while rare—deserves a place on every clinician's diagnostic radar. What does the female prostate (Skene's glands) actually do Researchers using MRI and 3-D ultrasound have mapped these pea-sized glands around the urethra. The Skene's tissue produces a thin, alkaline fluid high in PSA—the same marker doctors track in men. Studies suggest this fluid may help protect the urinary tract from infection, contribute to arousal lubrication, and explain the G-spot's sensitivity. In people with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) the glands are often enlarged, hinting that hormonal shifts influence their growth. How common is female prostate cancer According to Medical News Today, a 1994 database review found that Skene's gland tumours made up roughly 0.003 % of all documented cancers of the female urinary or genital tract—fewer than one case per 30 million women. Later reports confirm its rarity but caution that some urethral or vaginal cancers may originate in Skene's tissue and be mislabeled. Because awareness is low, pathologists now stain suspicious biopsies for PSA to avoid missed diagnoses. Female prostate cancer symptoms that overlap with more common conditions Palpable mass or firm lump near the vaginal opening Pain or burning during sex or urination Recurrent UTIs that resist standard antibiotics Unusual discharge sometimes streaked with blood These signs also occur with Skene's cysts, abscesses, or simple urethritis, which is why persistent symptoms after routine treatment should prompt imaging or referral to a uro-gynaecologist. Female prostate cancer diagnosis relies on PSA staining and imaging Pelvic MRI can reveal a solid lesion within the gland, but definitive diagnosis comes from a biopsy stained for PSA or PSAP. Elevated serum PSA has been reported in case studies, yet most clinicians use it only to monitor confirmed tumours, not to screen healthy women—the false-positive rate would be too high. Treatment mirrors protocols for other glandular cancers Because data are sparse, doctors adapt guidelines from urethral and prostate oncology: Surgical excision with clear margins is the primary approach for localised disease. Radiation or platinum-based chemotherapy may follow for aggressive histology or regional spread. Long-term outcomes are hard to predict, but individual case reports describe disease-free intervals of five years or more with early surgery. Female prostate cancer Related FAQs Do all women have a female prostate? Yes. The Skene's glands are part of typical female anatomy, though size varies from barely visible to several millimetres. Can a standard PSA blood test detect Skene's gland cancer early? Not reliably. PSA can rise from infection, cysts, or breast cancer; routine screening would create more confusion than benefit. It is mainly used to monitor known tumours. Are Skene's cysts precancerous? No. Cysts result from blocked ducts and carry no proven link to malignancy, but chronic inflammation may mask an underlying tumour, so persistent or recurrent cysts should be biopsied. Does PCOS increase the risk of female prostate cancer? Current studies show larger Skene's glands in PCOS, yet no direct rise in cancer incidence. Research is ongoing. What specialist treats Skene's gland disorders? Uro-gynaecologists and urologists with female pelvic-floor training typically manage diagnosis and surgery for Skene's conditions. Also read | Hair loss in females: 7 vitamin and mineral deficiencies every woman should check
Economic Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Economic Times
What's the secret of Deepika Padukone's glowing skin? Her nutritionist reveals magic drink that can prevent acne, delay skin ageing
Synopsis Deepika Padukone achieved radiant skin before her wedding with a special juice, according to her nutritionist Shweta Shah. This beauty elixir, consumed diligently for three months, contained coriander, mint, neem, pudina leaves, and beetroot pulp. Beetroot juice offers skin-friendly nutrients, while neem juice reduces acne and boosts collagen production, contributing to a youthful complexion. Deepika's nutrionist reveals superstar swears by this beauty drink Aside from her acting chops, Deepika Padukone is also known for her flawless skin. In an interview with Sushmita's Diaries, celebrity nutritionist Shweta Shah spilled the beans on the magic drink that helps the 'Pathaan' star maintain radiant skin and a youthful appearance. Shah revealed that Deepika approached her just before her wedding with Ranveer Singh. 'She had only one goal—she wanted glowing skin and hair. So she would have this one juice that she really enjoyed drinking.' This beauty elixir was made from ingredients readily available in Indian kitchens, such as coriander, mint, neem, pudina leaves, and beetroot pulp. 'She had it diligently for three months, and the results were something else,' stated Shah. According to scientific studies, consuming beetroot juice regularly can offer several health perks, especially for the skin. A 2024 article from highlights that beetroot juice is a rich source of skin-friendly nutrients. It contains a high amount of antioxidants along with crucial vitamins and minerals. In particular, it provides vitamins A, C, and E, as well as iron and potassium—all of which play a role in enhancing skin health and appearance. Drinking beet juice is believed to help cleanse the bloodstream by flushing out harmful substances, which in turn may result in a natural, radiant glow on the face. For individuals struggling with oily skin or frequent breakouts like acne and pimples, beetroot juice can be a useful remedy. It is known to regulate oil production and prevent clogged pores. Additionally, using beet juice topically on the skin may help remove dead skin cells, leading to a softer and more refreshed facial texture. Medical News Today reports that neem juice offers several dermatological benefits. It is considered effective in reducing acne and breakouts due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Moreover, neem juice may help in slowing the process of skin of the reasons for this anti-ageing effect is its ability to increase the activity of certain skin proteins. It supports the production of procollagen, a precursor to collagen, and also boosts elastin levels in the skin. Collagen plays a vital role in giving the skin firmness and volume, while elastin ensures that the skin retains its shape and does not sag. By promoting these proteins, neem juice contributes to maintaining a youthful, smooth, and resilient complexion.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
What's the secret of Deepika Padukone's glowing skin? Her nutritionist reveals magic drink that can prevent acne, delay skin ageing
Aside from her acting chops, Deepika Padukone is also known for her flawless skin. In an interview with Sushmita's Diaries, celebrity nutritionist Shweta Shah spilled the beans on the magic drink that helps the 'Pathaan' star maintain radiant skin and a youthful appearance. Shah revealed that Deepika approached her just before her wedding with Ranveer Singh. 'She had only one goal—she wanted glowing skin and hair. So she would have this one juice that she really enjoyed drinking.' This beauty elixir was made from ingredients readily available in Indian kitchens, such as coriander, mint, neem, pudina leaves, and beetroot pulp. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category 'She had it diligently for three months, and the results were something else,' stated Shah. How Does Beetroot Juice Help Your Skin? According to scientific studies, consuming beetroot juice regularly can offer several health perks, especially for the skin. A 2024 article from highlights that beetroot juice is a rich source of skin-friendly nutrients. It contains a high amount of antioxidants along with crucial vitamins and minerals. In particular, it provides vitamins A, C, and E, as well as iron and potassium—all of which play a role in enhancing skin health and appearance. Agencies Drinking beet juice is believed to help cleanse the bloodstream by flushing out harmful substances, which in turn may result in a natural, radiant glow on the face. For individuals struggling with oily skin or frequent breakouts like acne and pimples, beetroot juice can be a useful remedy. It is known to regulate oil production and prevent clogged pores. Additionally, using beet juice topically on the skin may help remove dead skin cells, leading to a softer and more refreshed facial texture. What Are the Skin Benefits of Neem Juice? Medical News Today reports that neem juice offers several dermatological benefits. It is considered effective in reducing acne and breakouts due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Moreover, neem juice may help in slowing the process of skin ageing. One of the reasons for this anti-ageing effect is its ability to increase the activity of certain skin proteins. It supports the production of procollagen, a precursor to collagen, and also boosts elastin levels in the skin. Collagen plays a vital role in giving the skin firmness and volume, while elastin ensures that the skin retains its shape and does not sag. By promoting these proteins, neem juice contributes to maintaining a youthful, smooth, and resilient complexion.
