Almost a year after the daughter of Bruce WillisRumer WIllis, announced that his father suffers from aphasia, a disease known as “the disease of words” and that affects 350,000 people in Spain, the actor has received a definitive medical diagnosis.
The performer, who became famous for his role as a tough cop in the film series The jungle of crystal, pulp fiction or in The sixth Sensesuffers from a type of dementia that has caused his state of health to worsen by leaps and bounds.
“Although it is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia”, he explains in a statement published on the Instagram account of his eldest daughter, Rummer Willis.
“Unfortunately, the challenges with communication are just one symptom of the illness Bruce is facing. Although this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis”, concludes the also daughter of actress Demi Moore.
As explained by , frontotemporal dementia is the most frequent cause of dementia. “Between 45-64 years it affects the same number of people who suffer from the disease.” This disease is characterized by progressive degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.
Frontotemporal dementia symptoms
At first, the 67-year-old actor was diagnosed with aphasiaa disease that is caused by lesions in the parts of the brain that control language and that partially or totally disable the patient to use language and communicate with others.
However, this is nothing more than a symptom of frontotemporal dementia, which is characterized by affecting behavior and language, and which can even alter the personality of the person who suffers from it.
For this reason, it is common for patients with frontotemporal dementia to be “misdiagnosed as having psychiatric disorders (, or ) or other more frequent dementias, such as Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia”, the specialists emphasize.
And it is that, as this disease progresses, it becomes more and more difficult for people to be able to carry out daily tasks that they previously did with total normality, it is more difficult for them to behave properly and they begin to neglect their personal care.
Generally, the first symptoms begin between the ages of 50 and 60.
It is not a disorder that really endangers the patient’s life, although it undoubtedly drastically reduces their quality of life and that of their family members, it does predispose them to suffer other serious complications such as infections or injuries from falls.
Thus, the main symptoms of frontotemporal dementia could be summarized as:
-
Apathy.
-
Indifference or emotional flattening.
-
personal neglect.
-
Disorganization.
-
Lack of attention.
-
Repetition of actions or comments.
-
Excessive jocularity.
-
Verbal apraxia (inability to express oneself without making mistakes).
-
Impulsiveness.
-
Aggressive signs.
-
Urinary incontinence.
-
hypersexuality
Frontotemporal dementia: how is this disease diagnosed?
Frontotemporal dementia is diagnosed after collecting clinical data and the results of a neurological and neuropsychological examination.
However, there are certain tests that can increase the certainty of the presence of the disease. This is the case, for example, of magnetic resonance and PET-FDG.
Specialists also recommend that in the case of early onset of symptoms, before the age of 50, or due to a family history, a genetic study be carried out, which may allow the disorder to be diagnosed long before it begins to progress. Although deterioration is inevitable, it can last up to 20 years.
Within this disease, two types can be distinguished:
-
Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, which is characterized by behavioral changes such as those previously described as impulsiveness, apathy, or inappropriate behaviors.
-
Primary progressive aphasia which, in this case, is marked by problems expressing oneself, reading or writing. It should be noted that, despite these problems, memory is preserved.
Do you have treatment?
Unfortunately, there is currently no treatment for frontotemporal dementia, either to slow or stop the progression of the disease. In any case, there are medications or therapies that can help combat the deficits caused.
The cognitive stimulation It serves for the patient to improve those capacities that have been most deteriorated and increase their quality of life and independence.