Last Updated on June 2, 2019

A new analysis of patients over time assessing their memory adds support to the clinical rule of thumb, that if you have memory problems but are still worried about them, you’re probably still okay.

The study followed over two thousand patients and examined their memory every year. The researchers looked at a subset of 239 patients who had had over four annual assessments. The lead author of the study described:

We found that there was a drop-off in their awareness of their memory problems that on average occurred 2 to 3 years before they were diagnosed with dementia.

The study was published online on study 26.