Bruce Willis’ devastating double diagnosis explained: How aphasia led to dementia

ACTOR Bruce Willis suffers from frontotemporal dementia, his family has announced.

The 67-year-old Hollywood legend quit acting last year after being diagnosed with aphasia – a condition that affects speech and language – which is now sadly “progressive”.

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Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the most common form of dementia in people under the age of 60. Symptoms include personality changes, compulsive behavior, and difficulty speaking.

The actor’s daughter Rumer, 34, who he shares with ex-wife Demi Moore, shared the heartbreaking news on Instagram.

The post explained that unfortunately, Bruce’s condition is “untreatable.”

In some cases, aphasia can lead to dementia.

The speech condition usually occurs after a stroke or head injury, the NHS says.

However, the onset of aphasia can be the result of a neurological condition that causes the brain and nervous system to become damaged over time, such as: B. Dementia.

Frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, refers to a group of disorders caused by the loss of nerve cells in the frontal lobes of the brain.

This is the area behind your forehead and can also be found in the regions behind your ears known as the temporal lobes.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, this nerve damage leads to a loss of function in these brain regions.

This can lead to symptoms such as worsening behavior, personality problems, or problems understanding others.

FTD is caused by abnormal clumping of proteins in the frontal and temporal lobes on the front and sides of the brain, says the NHS.

The clumping of these proteins damages nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes, causing brain cells to die.

This causes these areas of the brain to shrink.

This type of dementia is more likely to run in families than other, more common forms of the disease, such as vascular dementia.

The statement read: “Our family first wanted to express our deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love, support and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis.

“With that in mind, we wanted to give you an update on our beloved husband, father and friend as we now have a deeper understanding of what he is experiencing.”

The post went further into the “painful” illness the Pulp Fiction star is facing.

“Since we announced Bruce’s aphasia diagnosis in Spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has improved and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD).

“Unfortunately, communication difficulties are just a symptom of the illness Bruce is facing. It’s painful, but it’s a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”