Frontotemporal Dementia Caregiver Support Center

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What is Dementia - Signs and Symptoms

The information on this page is for reference and educational purposes. There is no substitute for seeing a doctor.
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It is very important to realize that a person with Frontotemporal Dementia (pFTD) does not need to have all the following symptoms. In fact, some pFTD will only have a few symptoms. The most common symptoms may be apathy, empathy, doing repetitive functions, and an increase in food consumption. As you learn more about FTD, you may find complete similarities when comparing your pFTD to others with FTD and then you may not. FTD may affect everyone differently.

One important thing is to keep a journal of everything he/she do that is not normal. For example, my brother tells the same stories over and over, he jay-walks, chews excessive amounst of gum, walks up to total strangers and talks to them, and salutes every American flag he see (Memorial Day is a killer!) .

Dr. Tiffany Chow stated at the 5th International FTD Conference that the best diagnoses right now is family history and what behaviors the pFTD displays currently. Looking at how previous generations in the family have deceased can indicate a possible genetic trait if parents or grandparents have passed away early in life. Examining the behaviors of the pFTD you can tell what part of the brain has been affected.

 

 


Behaviors

  • Hyperoral (includes eating issues)
  • Personal hygiene
  • Traveling (car)
    • When traveling in a city they may want to go home. Anxiety can increase
    • A pFTD may sit in the car when visiting friends or family. The car is a safe haven for some pFTD.
  • Empathy
  • Apathy
  • Incontinence
  • Hypersexual and other sexual behaviors
  • Lack of Sympathy
  • Lack of Concern
  • Social Skills
    • Home is a secure and safe place. A pFTD may not want to leave it.
  • Lack of judgment
  • Inappropriate attraction to fire
  • Gait walking
  • Body Stiffness (CBD)
  • Myoclonus is defined as brief and lightning-like movement
  • Language issues
  • Personality disorders
  • Count steps while walking
  • Hallucinations
  • Depression
  • Agitated
  • Aggressive
  • Destructive
  • Violent behaviors
  • Out of touch with reality
  • Repetitive urination
  • Constant collecting of things
  • May wash hands constantly
  • May shave face several times a day
  • Impulse buying
  • Hoarding
  • Counting
  • Saluting flags ( my brother will salute every American flag he sees,whether in a magazine, in front of a building, or on a decal, etc)
  • Pacing
  • Repetitive cleaning
  • Use of a "catch phase"
  • Dramatic change in personal and social conduct
  • Loss of empathy toward others
  • May show shallow affect (flat facial expression or lack of emotional response)
  • May be inappropriately jocular or sing
  • May clap or recite phrases repeatedly
  • Decreased motor skills in later stages
  • May sleep more
  • Loss of insight into personal and social misconduct
  • This list of warning signs of possible dementia below were published on the Alzheimer's Outreach website

      Personality changes
      • Frustration, anger, and irritability
      • Emotional liability, unstable moods
      • Paranoia, suspicion, and jealously
      • Insensitivity to others
      • Flat emotional responses
      • Loss of inhibitions
      • Fear of being alone
      Loss of problem-solving skills
      • Inability to do familiar tasks
      • Inability to make connections
      • Inability to make decisions
      • Inability to initiate or complete a project
      Communication problems
      • Problems finding words
      • Inability to follow a conversation
      • Repeating the question
      Disorientation
      • Loss of a sense of time
      • Getting lost in familiar areas
      • Not recognizing people
      New and unfamiliar behaviors
      • Neglect of self or property
      • Hoarding

Best FTD Resources



What If It's Not Alzheimer's
© 2003 by Lisa Radin and Gary Radin

No information was found on this website about this topic.

Association of Frontotemporal Dementia (Website)

Pick's Disease Symptoms
Coritcobasal Degeneration Symptoms
Progressive Aphasia Symptoms
FTD/MND Symptoms
FTP with Parkinsonism-17

Pick's Disease Support Group (Website)

No information was found on this website about this topic.

University of California, San Francisco (Website)
Family Caregiver Alliance (Website)
National Institutes of Health (Website)

 

Other Internet Articles



The Victorian government in Australia has a website called Better Health Channel.

Dementia - Diagnosis and early signs

From the Mayo Clinic

www.mayoclinic.org/frontotemporal-dementia/symptoms.html

From Alzheimer's Association from the South Central Wisconsin Chapter has an article about the basic symptoms of FTD.

http://www.alzwisc.org/Frontotemporal%20Dementia.htm

From the Northwestern University

PPA Diagnosis

The Familydoctor.org offers "Dementia: What are the Common Signs"

http://familydoctor.org/662.xml




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