In: Nursing
How does FTD differ from Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer's Disease:
- Progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain.
- The most common early symptom of it is difficulty in remembering recent events (short term memory loss).
- As the disease advances, symptoms can include:
* Problems with language
* Disorientation
* Moodswings
* Loss of motivation
* Self-care and behavioral issues.
- Person's condition declines & withdraws from family and society.
- Gradually, bodily functions are lost leading to death.
FTD = Frontotemporal dementia:
- It is a group of disorders caused by progressive cell degeneration in the brain's frontal or temporal lobes.
- Cell damage leads to tissue atrophy and reduced function in the frontal and temporal lobes.
FTD used to be called Pick's Disease.
Symptoms include:
* Dementia
* Aphasia
* Parkinsonian aspects
* Change in personality
Most cases are Sporadic in nature, but a genetic form is recognized.