Like many diseases, dementia is something that can be more effectively tackled the earlier it is diagnosed.  Previous research has shown that data and AI can play a role in providing such an early diagnosis, and new research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health takes this approach in an interesting direction.

The researchers suggest that analysis of our financial behavior can provide a diagnosis up to six years in advance of a clinical diagnosis.  For instance, people who would go on to have dementia were significantly more likely to miss bills.  What’s more, those with lower educational status would start missing bills up to seven years before any clinical diagnosis for dementia.

“Currently there are no effective treatments to delay or reverse symptoms of dementia,” the researchers explain. “However, earlier screening and detection, combined with information about the risk of irreversible financial events, like foreclosure and repossession, are important to protect the financial well-being of the patient and their families.”

Higher risk

The research found that the higher risk of payment delinquency among those with dementia accounted for roughly 5% of all payment delinquencies during the six years prior to diagnosis.  This leaps to nearly 18% in the nine months after diagnosis.  This higher risk continued to rise in the years after diagnosis, suggesting that people are not getting the help they need in managing their money.

The authors reveal that nearly 15% of the American adult population aged over 70 are diagnosed with dementia, with the disease resulting in a wide range of financial difficulties, from irregular bill payments to greater susceptibility to fraud.

“We don’t see the same pattern with other health conditions,” the researchers conclude. “Dementia was the only medical condition where we saw consistent financial symptoms, especially the long period of deteriorating outcomes before clinical recognition. Our study is the first to provide large-scale quantitative evidence of the medical adage that the first place to look for dementia is in the checkbook.”