Bruce Willis’ capabilities will get “worse,” might require in-home care as frontotemporal dementia progresses, Dr. Agus says

Bruce Willis’ capabilities will get “worse and worse” as his frontotemporal dementia continues to advance, CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Agus advised “CBS Mornings.” 

“This is a progressive dysfunction … He will not have the ability to do many actions that all of us do in life,” Agus mentioned. 

His household introduced his prognosis on Thursday in a press release, writing that whereas it’s a difficult prognosis, the household was relieved to have “clear solutions.”  

Agus mentioned that on common it normally takes a number of years to make the prognosis of frontotemporal dementia from when signs first current. His household introduced final 12 months the Hollywood star was stepping away from performing due to aphasia, through which sufferers battle to search out phrases and talk verbally. In their assertion this week, the household mentioned his situation has progressed.

FTD is a degenerative mind dysfunction that occurs when one of many proteins within the neurons turns into dysfunctional, inflicting it to build up and deteriorate the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the mind, Agus mentioned.  

It makes up about 20% of dementia circumstances, second solely to Alzheimer’s, making FTD not “unusual” and, Agus mentioned, usually underdiagnosed. 

Approximately 1 of each 8 circumstances of FTD is genetic, and most occur to individuals of their 40s, 50s and 60s. Agus mentioned that individuals can sluggish or delay the development of dementia by “preserving that mind lively.” 

“Every 12 months you delay retirement, you scale back dementia by 3%. So, do issues that make you uncomfortable — and it does not should be your major job, however do not simply sit again and chill out,” Agus mentioned.  

Agus mentioned that Willis will in all probability undergo a number of the signs of FTD and should require in-home care in consequence.  

“They can get nursing to assist the household. But it’s a large stress to the household and clearly the affected person and one of many underappreciated heroes are the individuals who maintain individuals with dementia,” Agus mentioned. 

There is at present neither a remedy nor therapies out there for the situation however the Willis household — which incorporates his 5 daughters, his spouse, Emma Heming Willis, and his ex-wife, Demi Moore — mentioned of their assertion that they hope that Willis’ prognosis helps shine a lightweight on the “illness that wants much more consciousness and analysis.”