image source, Getty Images
Bruce Willis en 2019.
Actor Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia, his family announced Thursday on social media.
In a statement on Instagram, the 67-year-old’s relatives said it was a “relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”
They expressed their “deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love.”
“Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the coming years,” the statement said.
brain disorder
Frontotemporal dementia is a generic term that encompasses a group of brain disorders that affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, according to information published by the Mayo Clinic in the US.
It is estimated to be the cause of approximately 10% to 20% of dementia cases.
Signs and symptoms vary depending on the part of the brain affected.
According to the University of Navarra, in Spain, Frontotemporal dementia is characterized by changes in personality, inappropriate behaviors in public, impulsivity, apathy, loss of empathy, repetitive or compulsive behaviors, and changes in diet.
Frontotemporal dementia usually begins between the ages of 40 and 65, but it can be misdiagnosed as a psychiatric problem or Alzheimer’s disease.
Aphasia: first diagnosis
Last year, the family of Bruce Willis had issued a statement announcing that the actor would retire from acting following being diagnosed with aphasia.
Although the symptoms of this disease are varied, in general terms it is a cognitive disorder that prevents a person from correctly understanding language. Those who suffer from it may have difficulty speaking, writing or reading.
image source, Getty Images
Actor Bruce Willis has been in dozens of films since the 1980s.
His family said last year that Willis would stop acting as his aphasia was affecting his cognitive abilities.
In the new statement of this Thursday they assure that they hope that media attention cryes awareness of the actor’s condition.
“Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others and raise awareness regarding important issues both in public and in private.”
“We know in our hearts that if I might today, I would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connection to those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it affects so many people and their families.”
The statement was signed by Willis family members, including his wife Emma Heming, with whom he has two daughters, and his ex-wife Demi Moore and their three daughters.
The actor became a household name in the 1980s and 1990s following starring in blockbuster films like the series Die Hard“The Sixth Sense”, “Armageddon” and Pulp Fiction.
He has also been nominated for five Golden Globes – winning one for the series Moonlighting– and also three Emmys, of which he won two.
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