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AMERICAN actor Bruce Wills has been diagnosed with an untreatable form of dementia, which was revealed by his family in a press statement. According to the statement released on the official website of The Association of Frontotemporal Degradation, the statement read, "as a family, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the outpouring of love and compassion for Bruce over the past ten months. Your generosity of spirit has been overwhelming, and we are tremendously grateful for it. For your kindness, and because we know you love Bruce as much as we do, we wanted to give you an update."

The statement further read, "Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD). Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis."

What Is Dementia?

Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. It is used to describe a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think or make decisions that interfere with the daily activities of the individual.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), dementia is a syndrome in which there is a deterioration in cognitive function beyond what might be expected from the usual consequences of biological ageing. It is currently the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people globally.

FTD Type Of Dementia

According to John Hopkins Medicine, Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a common cause of dementia, is a group of disorders that occur when nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain are lost. This causes the lobes to shrink. FTD can affect behaviour, personality, language, and movement. It is an umbrella term for a group of brain disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. It is also known as FTD, is a rarer type of dementia.

Symptoms Of Dementia

The symptoms of dementia as per WHO affects each person differently, depending upon the underlying causes, other health conditions and the person's cognitive functioning before becoming ill. The signs and symptoms linked to dementia can be understood in three stages:

Early Stage: the early stage of dementia is often overlooked because the onset is gradual. Common symptoms may include forgetfulness, losing track of the time, and becoming lost in familiar places.

Middle Stage: as dementia progresses to the middle stage, the signs and symptoms become clearer and may include becoming forgetful of recent events and people's names, becoming confused while at home, having increasing difficulty with communication, the need for personal care, and behavioural changes.

Last Stage: The late stage of dementia is one of near total dependence and inactivity. Memory disturbances are serious and the physical signs and symptoms become more obvious and may include becoming unaware of the time and place, having difficulty recognizing relatives and friends, having an increasing need for assisted self-care having difficulty walking and experiencing behaviour changes that may escalate and include aggression.

Causes Of Dementia

According to Stanford Medicine, common causes of dementia include Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Parkinson's disease, diet and exercise, excessive alcohol use, depression, diabetes, smoking, air pollution, head trauma and many more.

Diagnosis Of Dementia

As per WHO, there is treatment available to cure dementia. Anti-dementia medicines and disease-modifying therapies developed to date have limited efficacy and are primarily labelled for Alzheimer’s disease, though numerous new treatments are being investigated in various stages of clinical trials.

The main objective for dementia care include:

An early diagnosis to promote early and optimal management

Optimizing physical health, cognition, activity and well-being

Identifying and treating accompanying physical illness

Understanding and managing behaviour changes

Providing information and long-term support to carers.

 

(Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment.)