The pace of the symptoms and length of disease can vary dramatically from person to person. In general, each type of FTD follows a pattern where the symptoms seen in the mild stage become more pronounced and disabling over a course of 8-10 years.

Mild PNFA

Progressive nonfluent aphasia leads to increasing trouble speaking and producing language, although the person with it usually understands language and knows what they want to say. Early symptoms include slowed speech and trouble getting the works out correctly. For example, if a person with PNFA has to repeat a word that is difficult to say several times, it will most likely sound a little different each time.

Moderate PNFA

As the disease progresses into years three and four, the person will have more and more trouble producing speech. They may use short sentences without a lot of extra words like articles and adjectives. Reading and writing skills may are usually still good, so you might want to consider using a board or number of pictures to help the person express their meaning. Skills with numbers, colors and shapes generally remain intact, as do skills involving face and emotion recognition.

Severe PNFA

After five or more years of PNFA, the person with PNFA is essentially mute and may show behavioral problems similar to those of behavioral variant FTD. Some people with PNFA develop Parkinson's-like motor problems like muscle rigidity and stiffness. The time from diagnosis to the end typically takes about six years, although this can vary significantly from person to person.