Bruce Willis, Hollywood actor, recently announced that he has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a rare form of younger-onset dementia that affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.
Bruce Willis' former wife, Demi Moore, posted on Instagram about his diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, known as FTD. The type of dementia affecting the actor Bruce Willis is just one of several forms that dementia can take.
What actor has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia?
Bruce Willis' family revealed he was diagnosed with a condition called frontotemporal dementia earlier this year, a little less than a year after they first shared that Bruce Willis' health problems were requiring him to step away from acting.
FTD can affect behavior, personality, language, and movement. These disorders are among the most common dementias that strike at younger ages. Symptoms typically start between the ages of 40 and 65, but FTD can strike young adults and those who are older. FTD affects men and women equally.
Willis, 68, was diagnosed in 2022 with aphasia, which affects how a person communicates, especially using speech. In February, Willis' family announced that the condition had progressed to frontotemporal dementia.
From top left clockwise, Bruce Willis, Margaret Thatcher, James Doohan on Star Trek and Robin Williams. Dementia and Alzheimer's can tragically strike people from all walks of life. Regardless of a person's background or lifestyle, the disease is devestating for both the people diagnosed and their families.
What is the youngest person with frontotemporal dementia?
The youngest patient was 14 years of age. Most patients (8/14) had a positive family history. The most common clinical phenotype was the behavioral variant (12/14).
People with FTD typically live six to eight years with their condition, sometimes longer, sometimes less. Most people die of problems related to advanced disease.
The Frontal lobe is responsible for actions like planning, organising, initiation and self-monitoring. This is termed Frontal Lobe Dementia which is also caused by alcoholism. The symptoms of frontal lobe dementia include the loss of the above-mentioned skills.
Bruce Willis: Hollywood star diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, family says. Relatives of the 67-year-old actor previously said he would be "stepping away" from his successful career after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition affecting his cognitive abilities.
Around the same time, Hemsworth also revealed that while filming Limitless, he learned he has a genetic predisposition for Alzheimer's disease. It's not a guaranteed diagnosis, but his genetic makeup leaves him at a much higher risk to develop the disease later in life.
Does frontotemporal dementia progress to death faster than Alzheimer disease?
Conclusions: Frontotemporal lobar degeneration progresses more rapidly than Alzheimer disease, and the fastest-progressing cases are those with the frontotemporal dementia clinical subtype, coexisting motor neuron disease, or tau-negative neuropathology.
This would go far to explain the astonishing fact that after his diagnosis with Alzheimer's, Tony Bennett continued to tour extensively, singing his 90-minute set of sophisticated music with such panache, precision and professionalism that audiences and critics never suspected his condition.
Actress's struggle with Alzheimer's put the disease in the spotlight. In front of the camera, famed actress Rita Hayworth dazzled fans with her mesmerizing smile, sensational dancing and Hollywood glamour. Off screen, the star's life slowly unraveled as she faced Alzheimer's disease.
Frontotemporal dementia affects the front and sides of the brain (the frontal and temporal lobes). Dementia mostly affects people over 65, but frontotemporal dementia tends to start at a younger age. Most cases are diagnosed in people aged 45-65, although it can also affect younger or older people.
What is the main cause of frontotemporal dementia?
People with FTD have abnormal amounts or forms of proteins called tau and TDP-43 inside nerve cells, or neurons, in their brain. The neurons die because the buildup of these proteins causes damage. In some cases, changes or differences in genes can be identified as the cause of FTD.
Genetic FTD is passed down in families in a dominant pattern. This means that the child of a person with a FTD-causing gene mutation has a 50 percent, or 1 in 2, chance to have the same mutation.
Many people affected by dementia are concerned that they may inherit or pass on dementia. The majority of dementia is not inherited by children and grandchildren. In rarer types of dementia there may be a strong genetic link, but these are only a tiny proportion of overall cases of dementia.
Only rough estimates are available, but there may be 50,000 to 60,000 people with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and PPA in the United States, the majority of whom are between 45 and 65 years of age.
Actor Chris Hemsworth says he is taking a break from acting after learning he has a heightened risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The Thor star made the discovery after undergoing tests as part of his Disney+ documentary series Limitless.
Celebrated Scottish actor Sir Sean Connery died at the age of 90, with dementia. He was best known for his portrayal of James Bond, being the first to bring the role to life and appearing in seven Bond movies in total.
