Neurologist: Cravings for sweets may be an early sign of dementia

When dementia affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, there may be distinctive signs of the disease. As neurologist Alexandra Alekhina told MedikForum, early signs of frontotemporal dementia can be mistaken for depression or stress.

“Diagnosis can be difficult, especially if the symptoms are subtle. Changes in behavior regarding eating or drinking, such as cravings for sweets, poor table manners, overeating, excessive drinking, ”said Alekhina.

As the portal notes, frontotemporal dementia may not lead to memory loss in the early stages. The parts of the brain affected by frontotemporal dementia are responsible for personality, behavior, and speech. Most often, people aged 40 to 60 suffer, there are two types of frontotemporal dementia.

There is a behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA).

The behavioral variant can lead to: decreased motivation, lack of interest in things the person used to enjoy, inappropriate behavior, reduced empathy, difficulty focusing on tasks, compulsive or repetitive behavior, difficulty planning, organizing, and making decisions, and a lack of awareness of change in itself.

Frontotemporal dementia, a primary progressive type of aphasia, differs from the behavioral variant in that it tends to affect speech rather than behavior.

Symptoms of PPP may include: Difficulty remembering, looking up or understanding words Gradual loss of vocabulary Forgetting what common items are and what they are for Difficulties in using speech, including building sentences and using grammar correctly Difficulties in maintaining conversation.