BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — We learned today that actor Bruce Willis is suffering from a condition called frontotemporal dementia.
To learn more about the diagnosis, we took questions to Andrea Koch with the Alzheimer’s Association of WNY.
Q: What exactly is frontotemporal dementia?
A: We talk about dementia as being an umbrella term, and Alzheimers and numerous other diseases fall under that. Frontotemportal dementia falls under that umbrella but also has its own umbrella. It starts off in a different part of the brain than where Alzheimer’s disease starts off. There’s similarities in which it is killing brain cells and leading to changes in functioning, but because it’s a different location in the brain the symptoms look different. There’s changes in language, behavior, personality, and sometimes movement as well.
Q: Is this something that you can just get?
A: It’s typically one of the first signs that there’s something else going on and that there is some brain damage that’s occurred. Typically there’s something else larger going on but it can just happen on its own.
Q: Are there any signs or symptoms that this is going to happen to a person.
A: FTD is a disease that is less understood than alzheimers disease but they’ve identified some genes that can potentially put a person at a greater risk. There is an FTD registry that folks with the disease can sign up for because they’re trying to learn more about it.
Q: What is to be expected to a patient experiencing this?
A: It is a progressive disease. Over time the symptoms will get worse, and the damage will expand to other parts of the brain and expand to more symptoms. There can be memory loss down the line, but that’s not really the hallmark of the disease.
You can reach out to the WNY chapter of the alzheimers association to learn more.
