Updated
Updated · The Mirror · Jul 2
Alzheimer's Society Flags 3 Food Cravings as Early Frontotemporal Dementia Sign
Updated
Updated · The Mirror · Jul 2

Alzheimer's Society Flags 3 Food Cravings as Early Frontotemporal Dementia Sign

2 articles · Updated · The Mirror · Jul 2

Summary

  • Sweet, fatty food and carbohydrate cravings can be an early sign of frontotemporal dementia, the Alzheimer's Society said, warning that eating-habit changes may appear before a diagnosis.
  • Behavioural variant FTD can also bring loss of inhibition at mealtimes, overeating, and stronger urges to drink alcohol or smoke as damage affects the brain's frontal and temporal lobes.
  • FTD often starts younger than Alzheimer's and may be missed because its early symptoms center on personality, behavior and judgment rather than memory loss.
  • Family members often spot the changes first because many patients lack awareness of their symptoms, which can delay medical help, treatment adherence and decisions such as whether to keep driving.

Insights

If personality changes are the first sign, how can families distinguish FTD from a psychiatric disorder?
With a new biomarker now 95% accurate, is the misdiagnosis era for this dementia finally over?
Could new gene therapies protect the brain from FTD, a dementia that strikes in a person's prime?