Factors impacting on time to diagnosis vary with the stage of diagnosis in YOD. Longer time to dementia diagnosis occurred in people who were younger at symptom onset, when MCI or depression was present, and in dementias other than AD and FTD. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley& Sons, Ltd.

Background/AimsDespite reporting high levels of burden, supporters of people with young onset dementia (YOD) underuse formal community services. Previous quantitative studies in YOD are of limited utility in guiding service design because they did not consider important contextual barriers to service use. The aim of this study was to identify all relevant barriers and describe the service features considered most important to improving uptake by people with YOD and their supporters.MethodsEighty-six people with consensus-confirmed YOD (mean onset age 55.3 years) and/or their primary supporter participated in quantitative interviews, and 50 also participated in one of seven qualitative focus groups. Interview participants reported levels of community service use and reasons for non-use, functional impairment, behavioural and psychological symptoms, supporter burden, social network, and informal care provision. Focus group participants expanded on reasons for non-use and aspects of an ideal service.ResultsAlthough at least one community service was recommended to most participants (96.8%), 66.7% chose not to use one or more of these. Few of the clinical or demographic factors included here were related to service use. Qualitative analyses identified that lack of perceived need, availability, and YOD-specific barriers (including ineligibility, unaffordability, lack of security, lack of childcare) were commonly reported. Five aspects of an ideal service were noted: unique, flexibile, affordable, tailored, and promoting meaningful engagement.ConclusionPeople with YOD and their families report that formal community services do not meet their personal and psychological needs. Researchers can provide ongoing assessment of program feasibility, suitability, and generalisability.

Background Pain during pregnancy is common, and its management is complex. Certain analgesics may increase the risk for adverse fetal and pregnancy outcomes, while poorly managed pain can result in adverse maternal outcomes such as depression and hypertension. Guidelines to assist clinicians in assessing risks and benefits of exposure to analgesics for the mother and unborn infant are lacking, necessitating evidence‐based recommendations for managing pain in pregnancy. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted to assess pregnancy safety data for pharmacological and nonpharmacological pain management methods. Relevant clinical trials and observational studies were identified using multiple medical databases, and included studies were evaluated for quality and possible biases. Results Paracetamol and nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are appropriate for mild to moderate pain, but NSAIDs should be avoided in the third trimester due to established risks. Short courses of weaker opioids are generally safe in pregnancy, although neonatal abstinence syndrome must be monitored following third trimester exposure. Limited safety data for pregabalin and gabapentin indicate that these are unlikely to be major teratogens, and tricyclic antidepressants and serotonin‐norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors have limited but overall reassuring safety data. Many of the included studies were limited by methodological issues. Conclusions Findings from this review can guide clinicians in their decision to prescribe analgesics for pregnant women. Treatment should be tailored to the lowest therapeutic dose and shortest possible duration, and management should involve a discussion of risks and benefits and monitoring for response. Further research is required to better understand the safety profile of various analgesics in pregnancy.

Excessive alcohol use is associated with a wide range of physical, psychological and social consequences, and is responsible for a significant proportion of the burden of disease globally. An area which has received increasing interest is alcohol-related brain damage, not just because of the cost to the individual and society through resource utilization, but also because of the potential for prevention and reversibility. This paper aims to review the current literature on this subject and seeks to explore issues around diagnosis and treatment of alcohol-related brain damage.