This is the earliest sign of dementia

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Researchers discovered a sign of senile dementia that can appear in 16 years before diagnosis. The sooner it becomes known about an incurable disease, the more time a person will have to prepare for it.

Every year, the number of victims of senile dementia on our planet increases, which is connected with the increase in life expectancy. Unfortunately, in most cases, the early symptoms of dementia are ignored because people mistake them for natural signs of aging. But the study showed that one specific sign of dementia, which appears 16 years before the diagnosis, still exists. 

The authors of the study found that victims of senile dementia often experience an increased level of pain. Scientists asked questions about pain sensations to more than 9,000 adult volunteers who were 40 to 64 years old at the time the observations began in 1991. Later, 567 of them developed senile dementia. Analysis of their answers showed that about 16 years before the diagnosis, such people complained more often of pain.

Scientists believe that the brain changes associated with senile dementia begin decades before the diagnosis, so pain is unlikely to be a risk factor. Most likely, chronic pain is an early symptom that indicates the possible onset of dementia. Although, of course, there can be any number of reasons for pain, and senile dementia is unlikely to be the most likely explanation for pain symptoms.