The artist was diagnosed two years ago; The disease can be confused with psychiatric disorders
Emma Heming Willis, 47, told the fantastic fantastic of this Sunday, as was the daily life of Bruce Willis and the family since the actor was diagnosed with temporal frontal dementia.
“Listening to the diagnosis was devastating,” he confessed Emma, who recently published the book The unexpected courseon the experience of taking care of someone with dementia.
The 70 -year -old star received the diagnosis in 2023, months after the diagnosis of aphasia, a linguistic disorder that affects the communication skills. According to their families, the condition has progressed and the search for clearer answers has persisted until the identification of neurological disease.
“We know in our hearts that if it could, I would like to respond by attracting global attention to those who also have to do with this debilitating disease and as so many people and their families affects,” said the family at the time of diagnosis.
Unlike other types of dementia, the Frontotemporal dementia significantly affects the behavior and personality of the personBut it maintains relatively preserved cognitive functioning.
THE Frontotemporal dementia (DFT) It is also a less prevalent type of dementia – corresponds to about 1.7 to 2% of cases, according to the neurosurgeon Fernando Gomes – and reaching the correct diagnosis is still a long challenge.
“Since it is a little known disease to doctors and easily confused with psychiatric disorders, the diagnosis is generally late. Sometimes patients have serious changes in the behavior that lead to transgressions and even prison.” The neurologist Elisa De Paula França Restade said to Estadãomember of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology (Abn).
Since the symptoms are similar to those of mental and behavioral disorders, it is common for patients looking for the first psychiatrists and only then neurologists, Felipe Aydar Sandoval saidneurologist of Siriano-Lebanese hospital. The picture is often confused with psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia AND bipolar disorder.
In addition, a poor interpretation of cerebral exams and cognitive tests can occur, one of the factors that cause more incorrect diagnoses, experts – a survey conducted at the University of Queensland, Australia, found that 70% of patients evaluated with suspected DFTs did not have the disease.
What are the subtypes of Front -Temporal dementia?
- Behavioral variant: He pays more attention to behavioral changes. The person is uninhibited and cannot control himself. It affects the patient’s personality.
- Semantic dementia: The person can no longer understand the things he has understood previously, even if he may have preserved attention and memory. It has difficulty giving name to objects and understanding of speeches.
- Non -fluent progressive aphasia: It is mainly characterized by slow and progressive alteration of the ability to speak.
Causes
The causes of frontal dementia are not yet fully known, but there is a correlation with the hereditary issue. If a family member has the disease, the greater the chances of developing the condition.
Experts also identified it in brain Of the patient with DFT, there is an abnormal protein accumulation. This ends up being toxic to neurons, which are slowly dying.
The anatomical aspect of the brain is also different: in addition to being reduced according to weight and volume, it can have a shrunken look in some areas.
How is the treatment?
There is no cure for front -time dementia. In general, what is required with therapy, performed by a multidisciplinary team, is to treat associated diseases such as depression and maintain the patient’s quality of life. Therapies such as cognitive rehabilitation, adequate physical activity and a different linguistic training are important tools in this follow -Up.
It is also essential that the family is aware of the disease and the changes that can generate so as not to be surprised by the most serious symptoms. “If the person has aggressive behavior, it is not medicated and there is no guide, unpleasant situations can occur,” said Gomes.
Career
Bruce Willis emerged on television together with Cybill Shepherd in the series The cat and the mousewith which he won an Emmy and a Golden Globe in 1987.
The following year, the police without fear John McClane lived Wolf -killerA film that has turned into a successful box office.
After giving voice to the child Mikey in the comedy Look who is talking (1989), with John Travolta, has again shared the screens with the actor in the famous Pulp Fiction: Time of Violence (1994), directed by Quentin Tarantino.
Still in the 90s, Willis recited in titles like The 12 monkeys, Armageddon AND The fifth elementOr, but it was in 1999 that he gave an important turning point in his career playing a psychologist for children in the acclaimed suspense The sixth sense.
The following year, the actor received another Emmy, this time for his participation in the series Friends.
The name of Willis appears in over 100 productions, a diversified catalog that has successes that have marked the history of cinema, but also dozens of low budget productions with which it has been involved in the last years of his career.
Family
Born on March 19, 1955, Willis was formed with the actress Demi Moore one of the best known couples in the entertainment sector. The two remained together for 13 years and had three daughters, Rumen, Tallulah and Scout.
Despite the separation, Friendship continued and the actress said you visit her weekly ex -husband From diagnosis. “We will always be a family, only in different ways. For me, it has never been a question. I visit it because that’s what you do to those who love,” he said. In February.
The star has been married to Emma since 2009 and has two daughters of the second marriage, Evelyn and Mabel. /Collaborate Stéphanie Araujo, Renata Okumura and Rone Carvalho
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
