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Primary progressive aphasia
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a frontotemporal dementia. It usually starts between the ages of 50 and 70, however, it can also affect older people and rarely, younger people as well.
People with the condition have trouble communicating; initial symptoms may include:
- language difficulties
- speech problems
- reduced comprehension
- loss of understanding of familiar words
- difficulty recognising people or objects
The three most common types of PPA are progressive non fluent aphasia, semantic dementia and Logopenic aphasia. They reflect what sort of language difficulties people experience.
Memory and judgement do not tend to be affected in the early stages and people can become very frustrated and depressed because they are aware of their limitations.
For more information and support, visit the Rare Dementia Support website.