Warning signs of impending Alzheimer's usually focus on the physical—memory slips and the like. A new study out of Georgetown, however, suggests that a declining credit score might also be a sign of trouble:
- People were 17% more likely to fall behind on their mortgage payments a year before an Alzheimer's diagnosis, reports the New York Times.
- They were 34% more likely to be delinquent on their credit card payments.
"The results are striking in their clarity and consistency," says Georgetown Carole Roan Gresenz, a study author, in a university release. "The financial decline we observe mirrors the cognitive decline that these individuals are experiencing: credit scores consistently decline, quarter by quarter, and probability of delinquency consistently increases as diagnosis approaches." Georgetown researchers worked with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and medical experts on the study, which made use of data from the credit bureau Equifax.
The study builds on previous research suggesting financial trouble before an official diagnosis—and it's not a simple matter of people forgetting to make payments. Researchers say overall decision-making skills decline, which might, for example, manifest in people making pricey and out-of-character impulse purchases. "Our findings substantiate the possible utility of credit reporting data for facilitating early identification of those at risk for memory disorders," says Gresenz. (More Alzheimer's disease stories.)
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