General Dementia Information
Although there are over 100 diseases that cause dementia, the most recognized is Alzheimer's. Not all dementias are Alzheimer's and not all those who live with dementia are over 65. The dementia that is most prevalent in those under the age of 60 is Frontotemporal Degeneration, a neurodegenerative disease that robs people of their personality, social awareness, language, and motor skills. Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) dementia is highly misunderstood and greatly misdiagnosed in the medical community. Dementia, is dementia, is dementia is totally inaccurate.
Here is more about frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), the most misdiagnosed and under-diagnosed of all dementias.
Most primary care physicians only see 0-2 FTD people in their ENTIRE career. Even neurologists only see 5-10 FTD people in THEIR entire career, per Brad Boeve, MD, Mayo Clinic. It is very frustrating to those who live with people exhibiting FTD symptoms to find answers. They go from doctor to doctor seeking answers to a shift in the personality of someone with FTD, or their loss of words, or motor skill difficulties.
Misdiagnosis is prevalent with FTD and can lead a physician to prescribe the wrong medications for relief of symptoms. Often, they will prescribe Alzheimer's drugs for memory. The primary symptoms of FTD do not include loss of memory. Since doctors are more aware of Alzheimer's, they assume someone unable to name a tiger has memory loss, when in fact, they have lost the meaning of the word, not the word itself.
One of the most distressing signs of FTD is disinhibited behavior. A person can suddenly start saying inappropriate things to co-workers and making sexual suggestions. This is a sign of behavior variant FTD (bvFTD). Another sign of bvFTD is lack of executive functioning. People begin to not know how to do their job, even if they have been doing it for many years. It appears as laziness and poor job performance and many lose their jobs in the prime of their working career. This is often when a diagnosis is sought.
Care partners are led to believe there is a "marital" issue, or mid life crisis. They spend months, or even years, trying therapy. Doctors who have never even heard of FTD dismiss their concerns over symptoms that seems odd and unusual for the person. Many start getting involved in scams, buy things they do not need, start drinking excessively and overeating.
Only a vigilant care partner will continue to pursue a diagnosis when all the physician's are giving varying diagnosis. The best first stop is a neuropyschologist, or a teaching hospital that specializes in ALL dementias. A proper neuropsych exam can quickly point to FTD. Even an MRI can appear normal in FTD, so only speaking to the care partner, a neuropsych test, and elimination of any other cause of symptoms will lead to a correct diagnosis.
Some important links:
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/types-frontotemporal-disorders
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-are-frontotemporal-disorders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S_RcEqTwTo
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/frontotemporal-disorders-resource-list
Here is more about frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), the most misdiagnosed and under-diagnosed of all dementias.
Most primary care physicians only see 0-2 FTD people in their ENTIRE career. Even neurologists only see 5-10 FTD people in THEIR entire career, per Brad Boeve, MD, Mayo Clinic. It is very frustrating to those who live with people exhibiting FTD symptoms to find answers. They go from doctor to doctor seeking answers to a shift in the personality of someone with FTD, or their loss of words, or motor skill difficulties.
Misdiagnosis is prevalent with FTD and can lead a physician to prescribe the wrong medications for relief of symptoms. Often, they will prescribe Alzheimer's drugs for memory. The primary symptoms of FTD do not include loss of memory. Since doctors are more aware of Alzheimer's, they assume someone unable to name a tiger has memory loss, when in fact, they have lost the meaning of the word, not the word itself.
One of the most distressing signs of FTD is disinhibited behavior. A person can suddenly start saying inappropriate things to co-workers and making sexual suggestions. This is a sign of behavior variant FTD (bvFTD). Another sign of bvFTD is lack of executive functioning. People begin to not know how to do their job, even if they have been doing it for many years. It appears as laziness and poor job performance and many lose their jobs in the prime of their working career. This is often when a diagnosis is sought.
Care partners are led to believe there is a "marital" issue, or mid life crisis. They spend months, or even years, trying therapy. Doctors who have never even heard of FTD dismiss their concerns over symptoms that seems odd and unusual for the person. Many start getting involved in scams, buy things they do not need, start drinking excessively and overeating.
Only a vigilant care partner will continue to pursue a diagnosis when all the physician's are giving varying diagnosis. The best first stop is a neuropyschologist, or a teaching hospital that specializes in ALL dementias. A proper neuropsych exam can quickly point to FTD. Even an MRI can appear normal in FTD, so only speaking to the care partner, a neuropsych test, and elimination of any other cause of symptoms will lead to a correct diagnosis.
Some important links:
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/types-frontotemporal-disorders
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-are-frontotemporal-disorders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S_RcEqTwTo
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/frontotemporal-disorders-resource-list