Frontotemporal dementia: Frequent, burdensome, and neglected

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) accounts for up to 20% of presenile dementia cases. Nevertheless FTD has been underdiagnosed in the past and still is poorly recognised. Diagnostic difficulty is largely due to the peculiar clinical symptom pattern of FTD which differs from the prototype of dementia seen in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is not captured by the widely used diagnostic tests and interviews. The most prominent clinical features of FTD are alterations in personality and social conduct whereas memory, orientation and basic activities of daily living remain largely unimpaired. The problems faced by family caregivcrs are different from those arising from Alzheimer's disease but certainly not less severe. The present contribution reviews the symptoms and course of FTD, summarises the current evidence on epidemiology and etiology, and discusses pharmacological as well as psychological treatments.