Bruce Willis, who had frontotemporal dementia, was given another 10 years by medical statistics.

According to WHO, about 50 million people in the world today suffer from dementia, which was previously called senile dementia. Every year, the army of patients grows by another 7.7 million people, and now the famous Hollywood actor Bruce Willis has got into it. By modern standards, he received the diagnosis at a very young age – the actor is only 67 years old. Worst of all, he was diagnosed with a severe form of the disease – frontotemporal dementia. This was reported to the media by members of the actor’s family.

Willis’ problems began about a year ago when he was diagnosed with a speech disorder called aphasia. Most often it occurs in patients after strokes or previous brain injuries.

However, today it is established that it was one of the first symptoms of dementia. The actor’s wife and his children said that the diagnosis was a relief for them: now they at least know where all these symptoms come from. They noted that speech disorder is not the only manifestation of the disease, but they kept silent about the rest.

However, they are known. This is a deterioration in memory, a decrease in social activity, a weakening of interest in the outside world, slovenliness, loss of personal hygiene skills and skills in using modern devices (telephone, TV remote control). Statistics say that patients live with such a disease for an average of 8-10 years after diagnosis.

So far, no one in the world has found an unambiguous answer to the question of what causes dementia. Alas, no cure for the disease has been invented either, although there is a therapy that can slow down its development and alleviate the symptoms.

“Dementia at this age can be both an independent disease and the result of some kind of brain damage that occurred earlier,” a neurologist, who wished to remain anonymous, told MK. “Perhaps the actor took part in risky shootings and he had head injuries, that could have played a role.

As for frontotemporal dementia, this is just the most common form for relatively young patients. And, unfortunately, with her, the disease is difficult and often disguises itself as other conditions, which complicates the process of making a diagnosis.

With this form of dementia, brain cells are gradually destroyed, and the cortex atrophies. Over time, the disease will progress. We often encounter such patients. They may begin to think that everyone wants to poison them or “return” to their childhood. By the way, childhood memories with dementia become especially vivid.

When they have insights, they can tell loved ones that it was not them and be horrified by their behavior, but very quickly return to oblivion. Such patients need constant monitoring, sometimes they can be a danger to themselves and others. Unfortunately, in our country they are often hospitalized in psychiatric hospitals. But in general, in Russia, relatives stay with them one on one. Bruce, in this sense, of course, was lucky – I think he will have access to the best techniques and care. “

If in Russia the main burden of caring for such patients falls on the shoulders of relatives, then in the United States about 50% of people with dementia receive qualified assistance on the basis of specialized medical institutions, in which they live for the rest of their lives.

Today, according to various estimates, about 1.8 million people suffer from dementia in Russia. Of these, more than 700 thousand have moderate and severe forms of dementia and need outside care. The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the longer the patient’s social skills can be preserved.

In what cases should you see a doctor?

– Your relative has become worse at remembering information about current events.

– The person began to orientate in time worse.

– There are minor difficulties when trying to solve a simple problem in everyday practice.

– Gradually lost independence in the performance of the usual duties.

– Gradually loses interest in hobbies that previously occupied.