Beloved “Die Hard” and “Moonlighting” actor Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, his family revealed on Thursday, which is the most common form of dementia in people under 60. “FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone,” read the statement signed by Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, his ex-wife Demi Moore, as well as his five children, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn.
It was posted to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration website, which describes the condition as a group of brain disorders caused by degeneration of the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain that often causes personality changes and difficulties communicating. The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration notes that because most FTD cases occur in people between 45 and 60, who are still in their prime working years, the economic burden of FTD is approximately $120,000 per year, nearly double the amount associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Related: Bruce Willis is ‘stepping away’ from acting because of aphasia diagnosis The news led to an outpouring of support for Wills, 67, on social-media sites like Twitter, where his name was trending on Thursday afternoon. But it also raised plenty of questions about what frontotemporal dementia is, and how it differs from Alzheimer’s disease, as well as what Willis’s prognosis could look like. So here is what we know about FTD so far, including potential causes, signs and resources for those caring for someone with the condition.What is FTD dementia? Frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, is also sometimes called frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), or Pick’s disease. It describes a group of brain disorders caused by the degeneration of the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain. And the CDC notes that this type of dementia most oft …