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Abstract Background Very-early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (young-AD) differentiates from late-onset AD (old-AD) by a predominant involvement of the parietal neocortex leading to atypical presentations. The diagnosis of AD is often not the first to be mentioned in such young patients. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the initial complaint and care pathways of 66 sporadic young-AD (age 65) and compared their neuropsychological profiles at the time of diagnosis (based on clinical-biological criteria) with 44 amyloid-negative controls. Results The initial complaint of young-AD was non-cognitive and mimicked a burnout in 32% of cases. Their main cognitive complaints were memory (38% vs 87% in old-AD) and language (17% vs 13%) impairment. The referral to a psychiatrist prior to AD diagnosis was more frequent in young-AD than in old-AD (26% vs 0%). At the time of diagnosis, young-AD were at a more severe stage of dementia than old-AD (24% vs 10% with CDR ≥ 1) but had less anosognosia. Conclusions Better identifying the initial signs of very-early-onset AD is crucial to improve the early diagnosis and develop new treatments.