LIVING WITH FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA

We take a look at this little-known and often misdiagnosed condition

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When news broke in February that Hollywood star Bruce Willis had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, it shone a light on a disease that many of us had never heard of. Also known as FTD or Pick’s disease, it’s a relatively uncommon but cruel disease that often strikes at a younger age than other forms of dementia.

While anyone can get FTD, Dementia Australia CEO Maree McCabe says it most often occurs in people aged between 40 and 65. “There are many myths about dementia in the community and one of them is that only older people get dementia,” she explains.

A major challenge with FTD is that it can often go undiagnosed for years. “The symptoms are different than you would find in, say, Alzheimer’s disease,” says McCabe. “Memory loss is not a feature of frontotemporal dementia. It affects behaviour, personality, language and movement.”

WHAT IS FTD?

FTD is a group of disorders that affect the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain. There are several kinds of FTD, which each have their own signs and symptoms.

The most common types are frontal variant FTD, which affects behaviour and personality, and primary progressive aphasia, which affects communication. In some cases, FTD may also cause difficulties with mobility.