These 3 subtle symptoms may mean that you have a rare form of dementia

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a rare form of dementia that primarily affects linguistic abilities, while other cognitive functions remain relatively intact in the early stages.

PPA, which typically occurs in people between the ages of 50 and 70, is the type of dementia with which the legendary actor Bruce Willis and former talk show host Wendy Williams have been diagnosed.

Although the exact number is difficult to determine, it is estimated that fewer than 50,000 people in the United States have primary progressive aphasia. Unlike Alzheimer’s, who often starts with memory loss, PPA’s hallmarks are the gradual degradation of language functions.

Symptoms often begin innocently, which can be expressed, among other things, by stopping in the middle of a sentence and having difficulty remembering ordinary words.

Another sign is to replace a word with one that sounds very similar. Instead of saying ‘knife’, a person can say ‘viv’. Or you can replace the word with something else, which can be expressed, for example, by calling a ‘knife’ a ‘cutting’.

Over time, it also becomes harder to form coherent phrases where the words are messed up or used incorrectly.

Although there is no cure for PPA, new research highlights, published in the journal Plos One, the effectiveness of the Montreal-Toulouse Language Assessment Battery (MTL-BR) in early discovery of PPA.

This series of speech and hearing tests can identify subtle linguistic disorders and thus enable previous intervention.

« The possibility of an early and more accurate diagnosis is really good news, as the earlier treatment starts, the slower the development of the disease, » said lead author Karin Zazo Ortiz, professor at the Institute of Speech and Hearing Therapy at the federal university in São Paulo (Unifesp) in Brazil, according to the New York Post.

« The earlier rehabilitation is initiated, the greater the chance of the patient being able to preserve his communication, speech, reading and writing skills for a longer period of time. »

« But of course we are not talking about a complete diagnosis – just part of the assessment that can help us identify patients who need more follow -up and attention. »

This new study adds to an increasing amount of research aimed at detecting symptoms of dementia before they seriously appear.