Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia nearly a year after the 'Die Hard' franchise star retired from acting due to aphasia that hampered his cognitive abilities.
Willis rose to fame in the 1980s comedy-drama TV series 'Moonlighting', and has appeared in about 100 films across his four-decade career, garnering acclaim for his roles in 'Pulp Fiction' and 'The Sixth Sense', and winning a Golden Globe Award and two Emmys.
But Willis is perhaps best known for playing the tough-as-nails New York cop who pursued bad guys in the five 'Die Hard' movies, released from 1988 to 2013.
Frontotemporal degeneration is caused by progressive nerve cell loss in the brain's frontal lobes or its temporal lobes.
Dementia is the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Though dementia mostly affects older adults, it is not a part of normal aging.
People with dementia have problems with memory, attention, communication, reasoning, judgment, and problem solving.
Signs that may point to dementia include getting lost in a familiar neighborhood, using unusual words to refer to familiar objects, forgetting the name of a close family member or friend and old memories, not being able to complete tasks independently.
Frontotemporal dementia: This type of dementia most often leads to changes in personality and behavior because of the part of the brain it affects. People with this condition may embarrass themselves or behave inappropriately. For instance, a previously cautious person may make offensive comments and neglect responsibilities at home or work. There may also be problems with language skills like speaking or understanding.
Vascular dementia: About 10 percent of dementia cases are linked to strokes or other issues with blood flow to the brain including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Lewy body dementia: People suffering from this dementia may have movement or balance problems like stiffness or trembling. They may also experience visual hallucinations.
The strongest known risk factor for dementia is increasing age, with most cases affecting those of 65 years and older. Those who have parents or siblings with dementia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking increase the risk of dementia if not treated properly.
Treatment: of dementia depends on the underlying cause. Neurodegenerative dementias, like Alzheimer’s disease, have no cure, though there are medications that can help protect the brain or manage symptoms such as anxiety or behavior changes. Leading a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, healthy eating, and maintaining social contacts, decreases chances of developing chronic diseases.
