Wendy Williams Diagnosed With Frontotemporal Dementia and Aphasia
[ad_1]
Bruce Willis was diagnosed with the same type of dementia last February.
In a statement released Thursday, the care team for the 59-year-old Williams said that doctors officially confirmed her condition in 2023 after she underwent a “battery of medical tests.”
“Aphasia, a condition affecting language and communication abilities, and frontotemporal dementia, a progressive disorder impacting behavior and cognitive functions, have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life,” her communications group wrote in the press release. “Over the past few years, questions have been raised at times about Wendy’s ability to process information and many have speculated about Wendy’s condition, particularly when she began to lose words, act erratically at times, and have difficulty understanding financial transactions.”
What Causes Frontotemporal Dementia?
“Unfortunately, we need more research to understand the reason this disease occurs,” says Sharon Sha, MD, the chief of the Stanford Memory Disorders Center in Palo Alto, California.
Although ways to reduce the risk of FTD are uncertain, Dr. Sha notes that “common lifestyle factors to promote brain health, such as exercise, healthy diet, good sleep, and cognitive and social stimulation are helpful in reducing risk of neurodegenerative disease as a whole.”
What Are the Signs of Frontotemporal Dementia?
- Increasingly inappropriate social behavior
- Loss of empathy and other interpersonal skills
- Lack of judgment
- Loss of inhibition
- Lack of interest, or apathy
- Compulsive behaviors such as tapping, clapping, or smacking lips over and over
- A decline in personal hygiene
- Changes in eating habits. People with FTD typically overeat or prefer to eat sweets and carbohydrates.
- Eating objects
- Compulsively wanting to put things in the mouth
Managing Symptoms and Raising Awareness
Currently, no treatments are available to cure or slow the progression of FTD, but healthcare providers may prescribe drugs to treat symptoms, such as antidepressants and antipsychotic medications.
Speech and language pathologists and physical and occupational therapists may also help with some of the disease’s effects, and behavior modification techniques may help control unacceptable or risky behaviors.
As symptoms worsen, patients increasingly depend on caregivers.
The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration warns that FTD over time predisposes an individual to physical complications such as pneumonia, infection, or injury from a fall. The average life expectancy is 7 to 13 years after symptoms appear.
In part, those close to Williams decided to go public with her diagnosis to raise awareness of FTD.
“There is hope that with early detection and far more empathy, the stigma associated with dementia will be eliminated, and those affected will receive the understanding, support, and care they deserve and need,” said Williams’s care team.
For a closer look at Williams’s recent health struggles and the erratic behaviors that may have been signs of dementia, the Lifetime channel is airing a new documentary, Where Is Wendy Williams?, premiering February 24.
If you’re interested in learning more about the disease, the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration provides detailed information and resources for family and friends.
[ad_2]
