The signs of dementia being ignored by menopausal women as 30,000 Britons go undiagnosed – iNews

Tracey Lanes GP suspected she was going through the menopause when she actually had dementia symptoms. She was given hormone replacement therapy, but her condition worsened (Photo: Tracey Lane)

Signs of dementia are being ignored by women preventing chances of the disease being treated early, research by a leading charity has revealed.

Half of women over 40 said they would put symptoms such as confusion down to the menopause or a natural part of ageing.

It comes as diagnosis rates hit a five-year low with experts believing that tens of thousands of people are living with undiagnosed dementia.

Alzheimers Society estimates there are 30,000 people who would have been diagnosed if the pandemic had not happened.

Tracey Lane was diagnosed with dementia at the age of 51, three years after first experiencing symptoms which her GP dismissed as being caused by the menopause.

I was around 48 and just started getting quite anxious and depressed about things, which wasnt like me. I was usually an upbeat person, the 55-year-old from Somerset told i.

Sometimes in work, Id be doing the same thing Id have been doing for years which suddenly I found confusing, such as tasks on the computer, which I used a lot as I was a school secretary. Facial recognition started to become a little bit of an issue too not with people I was with all the time, though.

My GP suspected it was the menopause and I was given HRT [hormone replacement therapy]. I thought things would be back under control and even decided not to burden my boys with how I was feeling. I tried to get on with stuff and not make a big thing about it. But as the months passed, I got worse.

My medication didnt seem to be making any difference, and it was only after a routine doctors appointment with another GP in late 2017, about an issue with my back, that I was referred to a memory clinic for tests.

The doctor asked me a series of questions and I couldnt work out what the answer was for many of them. She told me to follow it up with the doctors.

A brain scan at the clinic in March 2018 showed Tracey had frontotemporal dementia (FTD), an uncommon type of dementia that causes problems with behaviour and language.

FTD is a group of disorders that occur when nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain are lost. This causes the lobes to shrink. The condition can affect behavior, personality, language and movement.

Early signs of frontotemporal dementia may involve symptoms such as apathy or an unwillingness to talk, a change in personality and mood, such as depression, lack of inhibition or lack of social tact, and obsessive or repetitive behavior, such as compulsively shaving or collecting items.

Memory and mental ability problems:

Mood and behaviour problems:

Problems with daily living activities:

Tracey says: Its not all issues with the memory with this type of dementia and actually there was a feeling of relief when I was finally diagnosed. I know it sounds crazy, but there was. I can remember my husband and I going to see the doctors previously who said they couldnt see anything major that was wrong, but that if my symptoms got worse I had to go back, which is eventually what happened.

It was a relief to actually know because you start to think whether youre making things up thats how I felt at the time. It was confusing. I do have a friend who has a similar condition who I met at an Alzheimers group I go to. Hes further down the line than me and doing really well, so thats a real incentive for me. Its been a big comfort.

New figures revealed by Alzheimers Society today show that two fifths of Britons (44 per cent) would not take it seriously if their loved one accidentally put their keys in the fridge, with a third (32 per cent) even finding it amusing.

Nearly half (46 per cent) admitted they would not be concerned enough to book a GP appointment within a month if a loved one was experiencing memory loss. For one in seven (14 per cent), dementia symptoms such as memory loss are dismissed as a sign of just getting older.

The survey also found people would be around 20 per cent more likely to visit a GP within a month if they found a lump than if they experienced symptoms of dementia.

The figures are being published by the charity as part of Dementia Action Week as Alzheimers Society says attitudes towards dementia and a lack of understanding could be preventing people from getting a diagnosis. The charity has launched a campaign this week to raise awareness of symptoms.

Kate Lee, chief executive at Alzheimers Society, said: Of course, weve all had our share of moments where weve forgotten where weve put the car keys or lost our train of thought mid-conversation. But when these things happen more often and get worse over a period of months instead of years thats when it could be a sign of dementia.

I know first-hand how worrying the prospect of a dementia diagnosis can be for people and their families, but its always better to get checked than delay. Alzheimers Society is here for anyone worried about themselves or a loved one, every step of the way a crucial diagnosis is so important, unlocking all the care and support you need for the future.

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The signs of dementia being ignored by menopausal women as 30,000 Britons go undiagnosed - iNews