Frontotemporal Dementia Caregiver Support Center

Where you are with your loved one's diagnosis will determine how much research on dementia-like diseases you will need to do. For my family, even after the neuropsychiatrist diagnosed my brother with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), he advised ruling out other potential medical diseases. Other physical conditions may cause or mimic dementia, such as depression, brain tumors, head injuries, nutritional deficiencies, hydrocephalus, infections (AIDS, meningitis, syphilis), drug reactions, and thyroid problems. Individuals experiencing dementia-like symptoms should undergo diagnostic testing as soon as possible. An early and accurate diagnosis helps to identify reversible conditions, gives patients a greater chance of benefiting from existing treatments, and allows them and their families more time to plan for the future.

Some of these conditions are irreversible and some are reversible. Whenever you have medical tests, do not be afraid to ask the doctors to look for other types of conditions. You need to eliminate other conditions, like normal pressure hydrocephalus (water on the brain) or vascular dementia. It is really important to complete your testing as soon as possible to reduce anymore brain damage. As medical technology makes identifying FTD more accurate as more information about FTD is learned, it still does not hurt to rule out these other conditions quickly.

Many disorders, some curable, can cause dementia. Do not assume anything until a physician has eliminated other conditions. Even if one doctor has diagnosed condition X, ruling out other conditions is a safe approach.