Photo by Anthony Metcalfe on Unsplash
Frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, is a neurological disorder centered in the brain’s frontal lobe. Since it affects the frontal lobe, the part of the brain responsible for behavior and emotions, it can cause a person to lose their personality traits.
An estimated 50,000-60,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with this lesser-known dementia. This number includes my aunt, who became one of the many people diagnosed with this condition in their 50s. Even people in their 40s can get this disease. While this may sound like too young of an age for diagnosis with a disorder that normally affects elderly people, it is happening in this age group and it is certainly impacting their lives.
Symptoms of FTD
FTD differs from Alzheimer’s disease in that it does not affect a person’s memory. Symptoms likely to occur early include a seemingly nonchalant attitude about other people’s well-being or life in general. Additionally, a person might start to lose feelings of shame, nervousness, or joy. They may start to do things that are completely uncharacteristic of their true selves, like laughing at a funeral or constantly leaving the house. FTD causes a person to lose awareness and interest in their lives, in the lives of their friends and families, and in the world. As a result of this, FTD can be truly devastating to the person’s family, who can see how much they have changed.
Why is it More Common in Middle-Aged People?
The causes of dementia in young people usually do not differ much from those that cause it in older people. There are various factors as to why more 50 year-olds get FTD than other types of dementia. It can be hereditary. It can be caused by diet. Whatever the cause is, the result is the same: a deterioration of that person’s personality traits.
Three Different Types of FTD
It is important to know that this disease is composed of three different types. These include behavior variant FTD, progressive nonfluent aphasia, and semantic dementia.
Each form of this disease affects different aspects of the brain’s frontal lobe. For example, the behavioral variant FTD causes changes in a person’s behavior and personality. This person will start to lose interest in people, things, and other world events. They will also start to develop compulsive behavioral traits.
The progressive nonfluent aphasia form causes changes in speech. This person will start to develop slow, hesitant speech patterns and will have problems understanding complex sentences.
The last type of FTD, semantic dementia, involves a lack of recognition of items or objects. This person may start to have problems choosing the right words when communicating. In some ways, it may seem like this disease deteriorates the adult mind so much that it starts to resemble a child’s.
Lifestyle Changes That Could Slow the Progression
As mentioned earlier, diet can be one of the possible causes of FTD. A healthy diet can be one of the best ways to slow the progression of this disease. Additionally, keeping a healthy cognitive lifestyle with activities such as exercising, reading, writing, or even going to concerts may help, as these activities challenge the brain and help to keep it working.
Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for this devastating disease. While there are medications that can help with symptoms like irritability and agitation, the life span after diagnosis is normally 6 to 10 years.
FTD impacts the lives of many middle-aged Americans, including my aunt. If you have a loved one diagnosed with this disease, strive to do all you can to seek the best possible care for them and their family.
