Is It Dementia or Aphasia

MLMcCoy

my husband has Frontotemporal Alzheimer’s Dementia and Primary Progressive Aphasia. It seems to me his symptoms are the PPA more than the dementia. Is that possible? How do I tell the difference?

M1

Welcome to the forum. This kind of distinction is one that neurologists like as they try to sift out what parts of the brain are affected. But from the practical standpoint of a family member and caregiver you probably can't tell the difference, and I don't think it has any practical implications. Sorry you are facing it. This forum can be a good place for advice and support.

Quilting brings calm

I do t think it matters other than you realize which part of the brain is going first. FTD has different symptoms depending on which part of the brain is affected. Aphasia is a symptom that the language area is affected. Knowing he has aphasia might help you successfully deal with him better.

Jeanne C.

Hello and welcome. Sorry you and your husband are going through this. My husband has the behavioral variant of FTD. He has advanced to the point where his symptoms are similar to "traditional" dementia. His early stages included behaviors and executive function issues. Eventually aphasia kicked in. Now he doesn't speak more than an occasional word or two. My understanding is that the variant is based on where the degeneration began and is indicative of the early symptoms. Eventually they all seem to merge. Below is a link to Tam Cummings website where she includes staging tools, including one for FTD. It has columns for the major variants. The Xs show symptoms that mainly apply to that specific variant. I hope it's helpful. I also recommend reaching out to the AFTD. They provide many resources for families dealing with FTD. All the best to you.

https://www.tamcummings.com/tools

https://www.theaftd.org/

elainechem

My hubby was diagnosed with EOAD. He also had aphasia and some behavioral characteristics of FTD. None of his doctors really cared about this. The actual diagnosis may not matter as much as the symptoms. I think that many people actually have more than one type of dementia. They all end up the same, sadly.