PEORIA, Ill. – The form of dementia that has been diagnosed in actor Bruce Willis could happen to anyone.
That’s according to Doctor Deepak Nair with OSF HealthCare’s Illinois Neurological Institute, who says the various forms of “frontotemporal dementia” make up the second-most common type of dementia, behind Alzheimer’s Disease.
“To meet the diagnosis of dementia, that requires that at least two different cognitive domains show impairment, and those impairments are severe enough that a person is unable to do what we call “instrumental activities of daily living,” said Nair — things like managing money, driving, or taking care of the home.
He says unfortunately, there is no “cure”, but medication treatments can prolong life.
Could Willis’ work as an actor have played a role in his dementia diagnosis? Nair says not necessarily, because the diagnosis could happen to almost anyone.
“There is so much that we do not understand about this disease and many of the other dementias,” said Nair. “Probably the best studied form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. In that setting, we know that, in fact, people who are very physically active throughout their lifetime have a lower risk of expressing the disease, even when there might be some genetic component there.”
Nair says such a correlation has not been made yet with frontotemporal dementia. There’s also no easy way to diagnose it until someone says they may feel something’s wrong.
Hear more of our conversation with Dr. Nair Saturday at 12pm, and Sunday at 7am and 5pm, on WMBD’s “Week in Review” program.
