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

Abstract

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 d..