End stage FTD

After years of FTD, patients may have trouble coordinating their muscles and require a wheelchair. Usually 24-hour care is required, whether at home or in an institution. The physical decline and changes that occur throughout the disease course become more and more obvious at this stage. Eventually, the person with FTD may have great difficulty swallowing, chewing, moving and controlling their bladder and/or bowels. Death from FTD is usually caused by the consequences of these physical changes, most commonly infections in the lungs, skin or urinary tract. Although it can vary widely, the time from the first symptom to the end is typically about eight years, whereas the time from diagnosis is, on average, about five years.