Frontal lobe dementia is also known as Pick’s disease and is named after Arnold Pick, the neurologist and psychiatrist who first documented the disease in 1892. Like other forms of dementia, it is a progressive disease characterized by a gradual atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.
Frontal lobe dementia life expectancy will vary between different patients, but on average it is around eight years after diagnosis.
Unlike Alzheimer’s disease, frontal lobe dementia generally affects younger people, both men and women, and it is usually seen in patients between the ages of 40 and 65, although it can affect people of any age.
Once a patient has been diagnosed with Pick’s disease, it causes an irreversible decline in a patient’s mental faculties over a number of years. The frontal lobe dementia life expectancy can be as long as seventeen years, but some patients only live two years as they soon succumb to complications of the disease.
Frontal lobe dementia is distinguished from other types of dementia by the presence of abnormalities in the nerve cells of the brain — known as Pick bodies.
There are several different types of damaged nerve cells found in the brain of a patient with frontal lobe dementia and two of these contain abnormal levels of tau proteins.
Pick’s disease is known to be hereditary and it is a mutation in the tau gene that is responsible for increasing the risk of developing frontal lobe dementia.
Symptoms of frontal lobe dementia vary according to which part of the brain is affected — the frontal lobe or the temporal lobe, although it is more customary for it to affect the frontal lobe.
When the frontal lobe is affected first, behavioral changes are the first noticeable symptoms of Pick’s disease. These can include personality changes and an alteration in social behavior.
Patients suffering the early stages of frontal lobe dementia might be erratic and hyperactive or withdrawn and unresponsive and symptoms of obsessive behavior are very common.
If the temporal lobe is affected first, language skills tend to degenerate quickly and some patients experience total speech loss. Memory is also more likely to deteriorate.
Other symptoms of frontal lobe dementia include:
- sleep problems
- glazed facial expressions
- loss of muscle control
- repetitive speech and behavior
- inability to organize and plan
- apathy
- negativity
- and rigidity
What is the Frontal Lobe Dementia Life Expectancy?
There is no treatment for Pick’s disease, although research into potential cures is continually ongoing. Once a firm diagnosis has been made with the aid of clinical assessments, neuro-psychology assessments, linguistic tests, CT and MRI scans, the outlook is generally not good.
Current drug treatments involve the use of serotonin based supplements, tranquilizers, and anti-depressants to help control some of the behavioral problems associated with frontal lobe dementia.
Other treatments include behavioral therapy.
As the brain slowly atrophies under the relentless onslaught of the disease, the patient’s symptoms will progressively worsen.
Death normally occurs from other health complications after an average of eight years, although some people do last longer.
I am caring for my sister who was dragonized with dementia, when I started taking care of her it was moderate, I have had her 3 1/2 years. I have seen her going down, but I have kept her busy going places and doing things, dancing she like the most, but she just suffered a stroke and more brain damage so I fear she in going into the last stage, She is younger than me and at one time very active in her life. I neve thought I would be a caregiver, but I am and trying to just make it pleasant for her, we have had out outbursts together, her because of the disease and me not understanding it, been reading a lot about it. I had just recently placed her in a place for respite care and took 20 days for myself. The last day they called me and said she was not feeling good, when I picked her up she was sitting in a fetal position, I could tell she had had a stroke. I took her to the ER. She is home now but I felt a little quilty because I left her doing good and picked her up in that condition.
Kathleen M.
Seattle WA.
My husband of 36 years has Frontal Lobe Dementia and was diagnosed 5 years ago at age 56. I have taken care of him the whole time with three, three hour breaks and one overnight relief in those 5 years. I cannot afford respite care at $200.00 a day we are both an fixed income. If you have any ideas on financial assistance even on daily care, please let me know. Thank you
My husband was recently diagnosed with bvfrontal temperal dementia. I can almost pinpoint the day I noticed a major change in his behavior back in 2010. Seven years later, he was diagnosed with the disease. This horrible disease changed our lives. His apathy, his rigidity and it didn’t help because he is an alcoholic and him not working had caused a downward spiral for us financially, materially and physically and the way we lived. I have come to grips that the love we had at first will never be the same.
My brother has this disease. He is putting on a lot of weight. They diagnosis him in 2002, he has it for 15 years. I was wondering since the weight gain is he on his last stage of the disease or not. I’m worried about this. Please let me know at your convenience. Thanks
Hi again Steve C. , I don’t think a second opinion would change the course of the disease. You have obviously told the Doctor about your symptoms and maybe had a special psychological test like the MMSE of the Addenbrook’s ACE111 test. The PET or CT scan will show that the diagnosis was correct and the problems you have been having are real, you must now start to look at putting together a living will and get all of your affairs in order whilst you have the ability to do it. I am going to do it as soon as I can because I do think that I have been deteriorating for quite some time now. If there is nothing wrong with your brain scan then you might be ok. Regards Peter.
Hi Michael and Steve, just a quickie, I tend to rattle on and on sometimes. I have for quite a number of years been struggling with memory and speech problems plus clumsiness and falling. Depression has been prominent too. I am waiting for a CT scan to check if the frontal and temporal lobes have atrophy. There is a possibility that I have nonfluent / agrammatic variant of frontal/ temporal lobe dementia. I feel myself caving in from all sides. I am in severe pain in many parts of my body and my neck is getting stiffer and more painful as the days go by. I know the ins and outs of the disease because for nearly 40 years nursed in my speciality. Care of the Older Person. Both of you, I am with you all the way. I am glad I have a laptop because I would have problems having a conversation with you as I forget so many word now. It is just really unfair. If you want to talk I will be here. Best regards to you all Peter.
Waiting to have PET scan in a few days, have had MRI. Psychiatrist gave preliminary diagnosis of FLD.
Why does a person care if he has AD rather than FLD? Given they are both terminal, why spend the extra funds?
My husband suffered a TIA at 53 years of age. Within months of the event, drastic personality chances ensued.
At the time of the incident, scans revealed that he had brain shrinkage that you would expect to see in an individual in their late sixties. He refuses to address the issue or to seek any form of medical intervention. He has developed an apathy and a disconnect that is surreal. He seems no longer able to manage any form of dissension and is easily prone to outburst of anger. Most of that anger is directed at me, and not other individuals.
Are people able to differentiate when it comes to behavioral dysfunction with Frontal Lobe Dementia?
My stepson suffered a Massive frontal brain injury at the age of 18. He is now 59 and is getting worse. He imagines he’s been to places he’s never been to and goes into rages he imagines he’s had with his brother-in-law. Today, for the first time he acted with aggressive behavior towards me, although we’ve always gotten along really well. I’ve gotten to the point where i’m fearful of being around him when he goes into one of his rages. I’ve been with him and his father for 40 years
it’s very sad. My husband was diagnosed with frontal temporal dementia at age 58. He was a healthy, strong and active many great in many areas and now he is in a home.
His personality got withdrawn, then anger came and violence followed. Been in and out of psychiatric hospitals due to the violence, he is now in a home for behavioral dementia and I visit him each week.
He knows me but not what our relationship is. I pray for there to be a cure, or a prevention, and one day there will.
For now, I am living alone with our daughter and I have to be strong as she sees her daddy drift away. I joined a caregiver group where I went often until he was put in a home, and I made many friends.
There are more than you can imagine going through this with a loved one, husband, wife, mother, father and some as young as 45.
Life is never the same.
The place where you had to put him? How is it? Are they kind people? Do they treat him well? How much care does he require? How many years do they give him? Sorry for the questions I just had my wife diagnosed and I am freaking out. Any help would be appreciated
The male side of my family has Pick’s disease. When my father was in beginning stages he told me that his father had this condition. I lost my father 2006 and then my brother this year in August. He was just 58 yrs old. He was diagnosed when he was 50.
My concern is his son, my nephew that is 32 and his 2 boys age 2 and 4 yrs. It is most likely going to the way they pass.
Very disturbing. No cure 🙁
I’ve just been diagnosed with frontal temporal dementia, and I’m in shock.
I had a PET scan. Should I demand, a second opinion?
Diagnosis was made by VA head psychiatrist.
I was recently diagnosed with frontal temporal dementia. My parents both had Alzheimer’s.
Since I’m in the beginning stages, is it possible to feel and or notice changes in myself? I was an outgoing person who enjoyed being around people and making people laugh.
Nowadays, I feel like I have gone into a deep depression. I have withdrawn or I’m beginning to isolate myself.
Because both of your parents had Alzheimer’s you have mentally taken on the view that there is nothing you can do therefore you have begun to isolate yourself rather than looking of ways to continue to be yourself even though there are changes.
It is understandable to feel isolated because you know from your parents what the outcome will be. Try to hold onto the person you know yourself to be for as long as possible.