Many people believe that there is only one type of dementia, but this isn’t true. There are actually several different types of dementia, with each affecting different parts of the brain, and causing changes to different aspects of the human being. Frontotemporal Dementia is a type of dementia that isn’t quite as common as other forms of dementia.
What exactly is Frontotemporal Dementia?
Frontotemporal Dementia, also known as Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration, covers several different disorders that are not very common, but all of which affect the temporal or frontal part of the brain. This part of the brain controls a person’s personality, language, behavior, and more.
When a person is affected with Frontotemporal Dementia, this causes parts of the frontal and/or temporal lobes to actually shrink. In most of these cases, the affected person will experience extreme personality changes, which may be permanent.
What are the Symptoms of Frontotemporal Dementia?
The symptoms of Frontotemporal Dementia differ with different disorders, but changes in personality, language, or behavior are common. There are many instances where this type of dementia is misdiagnosed and mistaken for Alzheimer’s disease. It usually takes some time for a proper diagnosis to be possible.
Typically, a person will be between the ages of 40 and 70 when this type of dementia occurs. The person may start doing or saying inappropriate things, have a sense of euphoria, have poor judgment, have compulsive behavior, a lack of personal hygiene, difficulty with speech, difficulty understanding, tremors, rigid muscles, muscle spasms, a lack of coordination, trouble swallowing, weakness, or other symptoms. Those who have a family history of any type of dementia are at a higher risk for Frontotemporal Dementia.
What is the Treatment for Frontotemporal Dementia?
Because there is no cure for Frontotemporal Dementia, medical professionals can only treat the symptoms as they occur. As the disease progresses, the affected person will most likely require round-the-clock care, as most non-medical professionals are unable to handle what is going on with the person, and the person may need to be medicated heavily, with antidepressants or antipsychotic drugs.
In some cases, therapy will work, but usually only speech therapy is effective, and in some cases, even this type of therapy doesn’t work well. Overall, all that can be done in the treatment of Frontotemporal Dementia is to take things one day at a time, and to deal with the symptoms as they appear.
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