Man, 41, diagnosed with young onset Alzheimer's disease shares the early symptoms he experienced

A man who started to experience early-onset Alzheimer's in his 30s has opened up about the first symptoms he had before being diagnosed.

Dementia is commonly seen in the elderly, but can present at a young age, too. Credit: TEK IMAGE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images

Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, which is caused by the buildup of proteins in the form of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain, which causes cells to die over time and the brain to shrink, per the Mayo Clinic.

Around 6.9 million people in the US over the age of 65 live with the progressive condition, which affects memory and a person's ability to do everyday tasks, with over 70% of patients being older than 75.

While it is rare to get it at a young age, the NHS estimates that around one in every 13 people with Alzheimer's disease is under the age of 65.

Fraser, a dad from Australia who is now 41 years old, has opened up on his YouTube channel about his experiences with the degenerative condition, which first started developing in his 30s.

Although he was only diagnosed 10 months ago, he revealed that he'd ben experiencing symptoms years before then.

He explained: "So I got diagnosed eight months ago, and I think my symptoms probably started about two [to] two-and-a-half years before that.

"It's funny because I don't remember what my symptoms really were initially, all I remember was having some pretty big memory flaws like I remember I was sitting down to watch a movie once and my partner's gone, 'yeah, we watched that like a month ago'."

He revealed that despite rewatching the entire movie, he had "no memory of watching it whatsoever," despite not watching many movies at the time, adding: "So it was a bit concerning, that was."

Fraser revealed that he'd experienced similar occurrences of memory loss, but began to worry when his cognition was affected.

"At some point, though, I started having some issues with my cognition more generally, and I think that was more getting closer to the diagnosis, where I noticed that," he explained.

"It wasn't until even probably just a few months before the diagnosis, I noticed that I was having issues with just thinking, being able to think deeply. I find that I have more sort of surface level thinking, more shallow thinking."

He revealed that he first noticed memory issues before his cognitive function began to be affected. Credit: PATRICK LANDMANN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images

He revealed that his memory struggles began to affect him remembering details people had told him, including a terrifying time when he began to panic when he was unable to reach his teenage daughter on the phone when she had previously told him she was going to the movie theater, a conversation which he had forgotten they'd had.

"I remember once, this is early on, I remember my daughter had told me numerous times throughout the day that she'd go to the movies that night and it would be sort of quite late with a friend, and it came to night time, and I started freaking out, thinking, 'where's my daughter?', I was generally freaking out," he explained.

"I was driving to the nearby town trying to see from other friends, if she was with [them], if they've heard from her. And it got to a point where I was about to ring the police, like I was that concerned.

"I'd been trying to call her, trying to phone, trying to message her, and just not getting through to her at all. So yeah, really freaking out. And then she ends up calling me, saying, like, 'Hey, Dad, I've just been in the movies. Remember, I told you?'"

He revealed that the family has since implemented a system where his teenage children will text him to let him know where they are going, even if they have previously spoken to him about it, so that he is able to look at his messages to remind him where they are if he becomes worried.

His kids now send him text messages to remind him of where they are in case he forgets their conversations. Credit: Crispin la valiente/Getty Images

Cases of Alzheimer's before the age of 65 are categorized as early-onset and while medication is available to help improve symptoms, there is no cure.

The early symptoms can include forgetting recent events or conversations, while more advanced stages of the disease will lead to serious memory loss and the ability to do everyday tasks being affected.

In advanced stages, the "loss of brain function can cause dehydration, poor nutrition or infection", which can result in death, per the Mayo Clinic.

Featured image credit: TEK IMAGE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images