Actor Bruce Willis' family says he has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia
Bruce Willis' family is sharing a big update on the actor's health today, almost a year after revealing a devastating diagnosis that forced the Die Hard star to retire. They say his condition has progressed to a form of dementia. Carter Evans has more. Welcome to the party, pal! As an actor, Bruce Willis could seemingly do it all, playing everything from the tough-talking hero in Die Hard. Hey, be kind, mother.to the sensitive psychologist in the sixth sense. How often do you see them? But now his family says he's taking on a new role, saying if he could, Willis would want to bring global attention to others dealing with his debilitating disease.
Yeah! In a statement, they say the 67-year-old has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. It's a disorder affecting between 50 and 60,000 people in the U.S., likely to affect one's personality, behavior, language, and movement. There are no approved treatments, and there is no cure. It's the family feud! Bruce Willis has graced our screens for decades, gaining fame on television in the late 80s. I'll give you three seconds to shut this bomb down, then I'm gonna make you shoot me.
Before becoming one of the most successful and bankable movie stars of the 90s and beyond. According to a report last year by the LA Times, it was that bankability that prompted Willis' production company to keep the actor on set, even after his earlier aphasia diagnosis. But Willis' attorney said that's not true, telling the paper my client continued working because he wanted to work and was able to do so. Bruce! For now, Willis' family says it's a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis. They're asking for compassion, understanding, and respect, which they say, quote, will enable us to help Bruce live as full a life as possible. For CBS Morning's Carter Evans, Los Angeles. CBS News medical contributor Dr.
David Agus joins us now to find out more about the diagnosis. Hey David, we just heard the family say it's a relief to have a diagnosis. What can you tell us about it? You know, on average, it takes several years to make this diagnosis and most people who in symptoms first present. And what happens is one of the proteins in the neurons becomes dysfunctional and it accumulates and it kills the neuron in parts of the brain called the frontal and the temporal region and the symptoms progress. About one in eight cases are genetic and this is a progressive disorder. So his function will get worse and worse and he won't be able to do many of the activities we all do in life. It's about 20% of dementia, second only to Alzheimer's.
So it's not uncommon. We had said earlier in the graphic 50 to 60,000 cases a year but it's probably higher because it's underdiagnosed. Dr. Agus, you mentioned one in eight cases is genetic. I imagine in a genetic case there's nothing you can do to prevent it but in those other cases I think people probably watching are wondering how can I, if I'm worried about something like this, take steps to prevent it? Yeah, I mean Tony, when you look at dementia, what we know is the one thing that's associated with slowing progression of dementia is keeping that brain active. Every year you delay retirement, you can reduce dementia by 3%. So do things that make you uncomfortable.
And it doesn't have to be your primary job, but don't just sit back and relax. This kind of dementia, this particular fronto-dimensional, happens in people in their 40s, 50s and 60s. So it's early onset. The more you're engaged, the more we can prevent it. Although in general it's just delayed, it won't actually stop it from happening. And what does this mean for his family? Emma Hemming is his wife, she has children. Demi Moore is his ex-wife, she also has children with Bruce.
What does this mean for the families? How they cope, how they get through this? Well, for the family it's very difficult. I mean his function will go down and they're going to require a lot of care. Many times it requires in-home care. So they can get nursing at home to help the family. But it is a tremendous stress on the family and obviously the patient. And one of the underappreciated heroes are the people who take care of people with dementia. Yeah, that is true.
Dr. David Agus, thank you very much for guiding us through it. We appreciate it.
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