UK's Youngest Dementia Patient Diagnosed at the Age of 22 

Dementia is a brain disease that you would have heard generally in the case of elderly people only. However, in a recent turn of events, UK’s 22-year-old Andre Yarham has been diagnosed with dementia, making him Britain’s youngest dementia patient.

Expressing her heartbreak, Andre’s mother Sam Fairbairn has been devastated ever since she got to know that her 22-year-old son has “the brain like that of a 70-year-old man”. This shocking revelation puts Andre under the 0.1% rare cases in which dementia is experienced by an individual who is younger than 65 years.

Let’s look further into how Andre and his family are dealing with the problem of their son suffering from dementia at such a young age.

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How Andre Began Showing Early Signs of Dementia?

Andre’s expressions became blank and his movements became slower (Image by Freepik on Freepik)

Andre lives with his family in the Norfolk city of Virginia, UK. Talking about how Andre was as a child, his mother Sam mentioned how he was a normal kid who enjoyed playing football and rugby during his school days. After growing up, he even secured a job at the luxury car maker “Lotus”.

However, this job did not last very long, as his dementia symptoms started flaring up, due to which Andre was struggling and had to leave his job after six months. Sam began noticing changes in Andre's behavior around November 2022, which included changes in his speech, blank expressions, and slow movements. As reported by the Mirror, Sam said,

“He was always chatty. But it got to the point where you’d ask him a question and you’d just get a three or four-word answer. He’d move ever so slowly and when you’d ask him to do something, you’d just get a blank expression. Then he’d walk off as if you hadn’t asked him.”

Andre’s behaviour raised Sam’s concerns and she decided to get him tested for autism. After an MRI, Sam found out that the frontal lobe of Andre’s brain had decreased in size, due to which he was showing symptoms of dementia.

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Holding Onto Hope

Andre’s family is willing to be a part of any research concerning his disease (Image by Freepik on Freepik)

Andre’s mother Sam previously worked as a coach driver, but seeing her son’s deteriorating condition, she decided to leave her job and devote her time to taking care of him. Knowing that her son may not be able to live for much longer, Sam has prepared a bucket list for him which includes trips to Shrek’s Adventure in London and also the Harry Potter Studio.

Showing her willingness to participate in studies related to dementia so that a possible cure can be devised in the future, Sam said,

“Even if there’s no cure – which there isn’t for dementia – any trials we can take part in would help. Although they might not work for Andre, any research might help someone else in the future – and we’ll take that.”

Genome testing is being carried out at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge to identify the true cause and type of dementia Andre is suffering from. The love and support of his family, especially his mother Sam, shows the importance of treating such patients with love and understanding.

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The health journey of Andre Yarham, the UK’s youngest dementia patient, highlights the devastating nature of the early onset of this complex disease which has no cure as of now. Their story is a reminder of why research about this disease and devising a cure is so important for both current and future generations.