Wondering if you can spot whether you or a loved one is suffering from dementia before it’s too late?
Unique subtle signs on the face – especially in the eyes, ears and mouth – may help detect dementia decades before medical tests, studies suggest.
Dementia is a defined a group of conditions that causes a loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life.
The most common form is Alzheimer’s disease. There is no test to detect the condition meaning doctors rely on a combination of exams, tests and scans.
However, while the first sign of dementia is widely thought to be forgetfulness, there are certain early signs in the face that can signal cognitive decline.
1. Shrinking jaw muscle
A dramatic decrease in jaw muscle mass may be one of the easiest signs to spot for dementia.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions found that those with smaller temporalis muscles were 60 percent more likely to develop dementia.
Skeletal muscle mass accounts for about one-third of a person’s total body weight and those above the age of 50 lose one to two percent of muscle every year.
However sarcopenia – a type of muscle loss – can cause rapid facial muscle weakness and a shrinking in the temple muscles in the forehead.
In their analysis, the researchers measured 621 people’s temple muscles using MRI scans and results showed that 131 of them had large muscles while 488 had small temple muscles.
During an average follow-up of 5.8 years, they discovered that those who had lost the most temple muscle had a significantly increased risk of developing dementia.
Professor Marilyn Albert, co-senior author of the study said: ‘We found that older adults with smaller skeletal muscles are about 60 percent more likely to develop dementia when adjusted for other known risk factors.’
2. Excessive crow’s feet
An increase in crow’s feet around they eyes could be an early sign of dementia, according to academics.
A dramatic decrease in jaw muscle may be one of the easiest signs to spot for dementia
A group of researchers said in a study published in the Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy journal in November 2024 found that facial wrinkles near the eye area were associated with cognitive impairment.
As a result, people with more of these wrinkles were 2.5 times more likely to have the impairment, which is a precursor to dementia.
The scientists said: ‘Facial aging, both subjective and objective, may be an indicator of cognitive decline and dementia risk in older adults.
‘We found that high perceived facial age was associated with high risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.’
3. Cataracts
A study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology suggested that people suffering from age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and diabetes-related eye disease have a much higher risk for dementia.
The team gathered information on approximately 12,000 adults ages 55 to 73 and tracked cases of dementia and age-related eye conditions in them for about 15 years.
They discovered that those suffering from AMD, which is described as an eye condition that affects the central part of the retina, had a 26 percent higher risk of dementia.
Along with this, they found that the risk for dementia was 11 percent higher among those with cataracts and 61 percent higher among those with DRED.
An increase in crow’s feet around they eyes could be an early sign of dementia, according to academics
The study also found that those who had two eye conditions were at higher risk for dementia than were those with only one.
Apart from this, people who had at least two eye conditions and conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke or depression, were almost three times more likely to develop dementia.
Professor Eef Hogervorst from Loughborough University, who was not involved in the study, told The Guardian that in addition to not engaging in activities, sight loss might also cause dementia because people who use their eyes less have reduced blood flow to the brain.
4. Increased loss of hearing
Another key indicator for dementia is an sudden loss in hearing.
According to the Alzheimer’s Society, not being able to understand sounds and speech could make the brain work harder.
This causes the brain to use more effort which could lead to changes in the brain that affects our memory and thinking abilities.
The charity also warns that those suffering hearing problems may also be more likely to withdraw from social situations and become isolated over time. Social isolation is known to be a risk factor for dementia.
While there is no clear link between hearing loss and dementia, the society estimates that impaired hearing is an early symptom for dementia.
5. Cold sores on the mouth
Lastly, cold sores on the lips may also be a warning sign of dementia.
Cold sores are caused by Herpes simplex virus 1 and have a link to an increased risk of the memory-robbing disease
A team of researchers from Uppsala University, Sweden revealed the link between the virus behind cold sores and herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), to an increased risk of dementia.
They followed 1,002 Swedes, of which 80 percent carry HSV-1 and were over 70 years old for a 15-year period.
By the end, 32 subjects had developed Alzheimer’s disease and 63 percent had developed another form of dementia – in total representing 11 percent of the participants. Eighty-nine percent of those people had herpes.
Researchers then compared these people to the rest of the group, which hadn’t developed dementia, in which 82 percent of participants had herpes.
The scientists are unsure why the two conditions may be linked but it may be because it hides out in your nervous system for life.
At any point, flare-ups can occur, which may cause inflammation inside the nervous system, pressing on and damaging the delicate tissue of the nervous system and brain.
Over time, this could lead to some of the changes associated with dementia, like memory loss, brain tissue break down and confusion.
