Bruce Willis' Illness: What FTD Is, Its Symptoms, Fatality Rate, and Everything to Know About Actor-Singer's New Health Diagnosis

Here's everything you need to know about Bruce Willis' health condition, frontotemporal dementia or FTD.

Willis' family confirmed the cruel diagnosis the actor-singer received months after starting his battle with aphasia. In a statement on Instagram, his wife Emma Heming Willis, ex-wife Demi Moore and daughters Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, and Evelyn, revealed that Bruce Willis had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

"Bruce's condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD)," the family said. "Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis."

They revealed that Bruce Willis' illness is "cruel" and "heartbreaking." But what exactly made FTD to be called that way?

What Is Frontotemporal Dementia or FTD?

Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins Medicine explain that FTD is a progressive brain disease that occurs when the nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of a person's brain are lost. As a result, the affected lobes begin to shrink.

The disease leads parts of the brain to deteriorate and stop working, and its symptoms vary depending on the affected area of the organ. Most people diagnosed with this lose control of their behavior and their ability to speak their spoken language.

While FTD is not curable or treatable, its symptoms can be managed and treated.

Frontotemporal Dementia's Symptoms

FTD can be divided into three common symptom groups: behavioral-variant FTD, semantic-variant primary progressive aphasia, and nonfluent/agrammatic primary progressive aphasia.

The disease's symptoms can be similar to other conditions like FTD-ALS and Parkinsonian-like FTD syndromes.

Among its similar symptoms include increasing dependence, trouble planning, difficulty in organizing, less frequent speech, inability to use and understand a language, emotional withdrawal, loss of interest in normal activities, decreased self-awareness, and dramatic personality and behavior changes.

Is FTD Fatal?

Medical experts assured that FTD itself is not life-threatening. In fact, people diagnosed with it, including Bruce Willis, may live with it for years.

However, its existence can lead to other illnesses that can be fatal and more serious. People diagnosed with FTD are at higher risk of getting infections and sustaining fall-related injuries.

FTD, as a whole, is a permanent and life-long condition. Meaning, once the diagnosis has been made, the condition becomes part of the person until their passing.

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