The cause of FTD is not yet fully understood, but researchers agree it is linked to a build-up of abnormal proteins in the brain. Aphasia is a common symptom of FTD, and this is what Bruce Willis' family reported in an initial social media post early last year.
What is the main cause of frontotemporal dementia?
What Causes Frontotemporal Dementia? The underlying causes of frontotemporal dementia are not yet fully understood. 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.
What is the difference between Alzheimer's and frontotemporal dementia?
Alzheimer's disease: Abnormal deposits of proteins form amyloid plaques and tau tangles throughout the brain. Frontotemporal dementia: Abnormal amounts or forms of tau and TDP-43 proteins accumulate inside neurons in the frontal and temporal lobes.
“There are currently no disease-modifying treatments for FTD; there is no cure, and no way to prevent its onset,” the association said on its website, where the Willis family's statement was posted. “Average life expectancy is 7 to 13 years after the start of symptoms.”
Wendy William's care team announced Thursday that the talk show host was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, adding to the list of celebrities who suffer from the aphasia. The announcement drew comparisons to Bruce Willis who also suffers from both aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.
People with FTD often lack insight, which means they can't recognize their symptoms or condition. Because they can't see the problem, they often don't believe they need medical care or treatment. That lack of understanding can lead to frustration or fear for the person with the symptoms and their loved ones.
How long does Bruce Willis have to live with his disease?
FTD symptoms can take anywhere from two years to two decades to progress, with movement and behavior being impacted as well as communication. The life expectancy for FTD patients is typically between seven and 13 years from the first onset of symptoms; there are no currently no treatments for the disease itself.
Introduction: The five-word test (5WT) is a serial verbal memory test with semantic cuing. It is proposed to rapidly evaluate memory of aging people and has previously shown its sensitivity and its specificity in identifying patients with AD.
Is Alzheimer's worse than frontotemporal dementia?
Problems with speech: Although people with Alzheimer's may have trouble thinking of the right word or remembering names, they tend to have less difficulty making sense when they speak, understanding the speech of others, or reading than those with FTD.
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. This shows there is a direct relationship between alcoholism and frontal lobe dementia. Additionally, a common symptom is loss of short-term memory.
Moderate alcohol consumption is normally defined as 1-14 units of alcohol per week for women and 1-21 units a week for men. If you regularly drink much more than this, you are increasing your risk of damage to your brain and other organs, and so increasing your risk of dementia.
What is the youngest person with frontotemporal dementia?
The youngest onset age reported thus far is 14 years [4], although this is relatively rare in clinical practice. The most challenging subtype in young patients is the behavioral variant (bvFTD).
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease causes a type of dementia that gets worse unusually fast. More common causes of dementia, such as Alzheimer's, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia, typically progress more slowly. Through a process scientists don't yet understand, misfolded prion protein destroys brain cells.
Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead. As Bruce's condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.
In most cases, the cause of a FTD is unknown. Individuals with a family history of FTD are more likely to develop such a disorder. About 10 to 30% of bvFTD is due to specific genetic causes. FTD that runs in a family is often related to variants (permanent changes) in certain genes.
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.
In later stages, patients develop movement disorders such as unsteadiness, rigidity, slowness, twitches, muscle weakness or difficulty swallowing. Some patients develop Lou Gehrig's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). People in the final stages of FTD cannot care for themselves.
There is currently no cure for frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and the progression of the disease cannot be slowed. However there are many ways to help a person with FTD live well.
