Referral patterns and diagnostic outcomes in an outpatient Australian tertiary cognitive neurology service: 2009-2019.

INTRODUCTION

Young-onset dementia (YOD) and atypical dementias often experience diagnostic delays, particularly in outpatient settings where timely referrals are crucial.

METHODS

A 10-year retrospective audit (2009-2019) of 626 patients at a specialist cognitive neurology clinic reviewed demographics, referral sources, and time to diagnosis. Data were compared between YOD and late-onset dementia (LOD), and with and without dementia groups.

RESULTS

Fifty-three percent of patients were diagnosed with dementia (mean age: 65 ± 11.9 years). Non-neurodegenerative conditions were more frequent in < 65 years (61%). Among YOD cases, Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia accounted for 40% and 34% of diagnoses, respectively, while AD predominated in LOD (65%). Language-variant dementias were similar between groups (14%). Diagnostic delays in YOD averaged 1 year longer than in LOD.

DISCUSSION

Higher YOD and language-variant dementia referrals to specialist services reveal diagnostic delays, underscoring the need for better referral and diagnostic pathways.

HIGHLIGHTS

Delayed diagnosis common in young-onset dementia (YOD) and atypical dementia.Specialist clinics see more YOD and language-variant dementia referrals.YOD has longer time from symptom onset to diagnosis compared to late-onset cases.Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) a more common diagnosis in YOD patients.