FTD is the acronym for frontotemporal dementia. It is far more likely to affect the specific areas of the brain known as the frontal and temporal lobes. This is a brain disease which cause the brain’s frontal and temporal lobes to shrink.
In 2013, I had a SPECT brain scan at a Newmarket hospital. The radiologist report on the scan reads: “Abnormal perfusion identified in the right temporal lobe and right basal ganglia.”
It goes on to say that the abnormal perfusion could represent early FTD. A previous infarct can give a similar appearance or space occupying lesion such as arachnoid cyst. The perfusion pattern does not suggest Alzheimer’s disease definitions.
A definition of FTD: An umbrella term for a group of rare disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal regions of the brain – the areas generally associated with personality and behaviour.
Alzheimer’s (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that destroys brain cells, causing thinking ability and memory to deteriorate over time
Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging and is irreversible.
FTD will affect between six and 20 per cent of the dementia population. For some unknown reason (to me), FTD gets very little notice from the public, the medical people or the research scientists. I guess that with over 100 dementias listed under the dementia umbrella, FTD is forgotten. In general, 65 per cent of the people with FTD are younger that 65 years of age.
There are three variants of FTD: behaviour variant (bvFTD) – changes in personality; primary progressive aphasia (PPA) – affects language skills; and amyotrophis lateral sclerosis (ALS) – muscle weakness.
My SPECT scan, taken in October 2013. names three possibilities for me:
– a previous infarct infarc;
– rontotemporal dementia; and
– an arachnoid cyst.
It also suggests that the perfusion pattern does not suggest Alzheimer’s disease. I have ruled out the infarc and the cyst, whatever they are.
I am being referred to the Toronto Memory Clinic. Dr. Sharon Cohen is one of the top behavioural neurologists in Canada. They specialize in dementias and memory. She is the best and does a lot of clinical trials on all sorts of dementias. I couldn’t be in better hands!
The dementia most spoken of is Alzheimer’s, with a small list of other dementias in which FTD is one of the worst. But Alzheimer’s is the very worst, but with more emphasis on memory. With FTD, my life expectancy is seven to 13 years. If I had Alzheimer’s, I should be able to make it to 20 years, if proper health care is taken. This proper health is adherence to lifestyle (nothing in excess), diet (limited sugar and processed foods), and exercise (the 5,000 steps per day).
My SPECT scan suggests that the perfusion pattern does not point to Alzheimer’s disease. That is good. My conclusion is that my brain has been afflicted with FTD. I do not have an FTD specialist doctor.
I am feelin’ good and still moving forward, but in small steps.
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Bob Murray is retired from the graphic communication (printing) industry and has been living in Seaforth since 2015. Murray was diagnosed with Dementia in 2013 and works hard to stop the progress of the disease. Follow him on his blog entitled Voyage with Dementia – https://myvoyage553264702.wordpress.com.
