alzheimers news-what bruce willis has

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WHAT BRUCE WILLIS HAS

bruce willis the actor has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia
frontal is the front part of the brain
temporal is the side part of the brain behind the ears

it is the fourth most common form of dementia

one is alzheimers disease my diagnosis
two is vascular dementia 
three is lewy body dementia think robin williams
four is frontotemporal dementia or ftd

lewy body dementia and frontotemporal dementia can be rough on the families
they happen younger than alzheimers disease and vascular dementia
some of the symptoms can be disturbing

of course none of these are good ones to have

here is a link to information on frontotemporal dementia from the alzheimers association

bruce willis has aphasia where he basically might understand what you are saying to him but he cant answer back to you or he may have difficulty doing so

as the disease progresses as described in the alzheimers association link the person becomes bedridden and usually dies from infection like skin infection pneumonia or kidney infection

they may have a lot of behavior issues some are inappropriate
whichever variant of frontotemporal dementia he has will be a difficult journey for himself and his loved ones

i guess if i had to chose i would chose none of the above
i wouldnt want lewy body dementia or frontotemporal dementia
for my familys sake

at least my version of alzheimers  seems to be a slower version of dementia

there is not a good diagnostic test for frontotemporal dementia
it basically based on a good neurological history and negative labs and scans
the mri may show shrinkage of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain
the amyloid pet scan will be negative

with alzheimers the diagnosis like with me can be based on neurological history normal labs abnormal spinal fluid for amyloid and tau and an abnormal amyloid pet scan

there is no treatment for frontotemporal dementia 
depression or aggression is treated with meds
aricept or donepezil dosnt help in fact it may make things worse

there is degradation of behavior and the personality and having trouble with language and having trouble with ambulation

here is a link to booklet for families to better understand the disease

here is the link to the association of frontotemporal degeneration

yes
its not a good one to have

follow me on twitter
follow my blog facebook page

the organicgreen doctor