Abstract:This article aims to warn the Brazilian Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology scientific community about the importance and necessity of scientific and clinical activities regarding Primary Progressive Aphasia. This warning is based on a systematic literature review of the scientific production on Primary Progressive Aphasia, from which nine Brazilian articles were selected. It was observed that there is an obvious lack of studies on the subject, as all the retrieved articles were published in medical journa… Show more
“…When analyzing the Brazilian context in which this study was carried out, it is known that the diagnosis of patients with PPA is not always carried out accurately, and mistakes and diagnostic errors may occur due to the delay for the patient to reach the reference services (10,12). Therefore, it is clear that a retrospective investigation of the early symptoms has a more relevant role in this scenario, stressing that a thorough clinical interview should be a priority in monitoring the suspected PPA in this population, contributing to the accuracy of the diagnosis.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…However, most scientific knowledge related to PPA is obtained from studies with English speakers. As the PPA is a syndrome centered on language impairment, it is important to emphasize studies that aim to characterize the profile and linguistic manifestations of speakers of other languages, especially in Latin languages, such as Portuguese (10). The unique characteristics of different languages have different perspectives on the development, plasticity and cognitive reserve of specific linguistic networks and, thus, could have different diagnostic criteria, which would apply for each language specifically (16).…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The characterization of PPA variants can easily be confused with the findings of other neurological disorders, especially with AD. Many cases of PPA are believed to be underdiagnosed, while others still remain without a closed diagnosis or with a long delay to completion (10). Studies have reported that the lvPPA may appear as an initial symptom of AD in atypical cases, being recognized as one of the non-amnestic variants of AD (6).…”
Background: Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) is characterized by progressive language impairment due to focal degeneration of brain areas related to linguistic processing. The detection and differential diagnosis of PPA can be difficult with clinical features that may overlap with features of other neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The scientific production on PPA in Latin American patients is still scarce. This study investigated the first symptoms in a Brazilian sample of patients with PPA in comparison with AD patients.Method: We compared the first symptoms reported by caregivers of people with PPA (n = 20; semantic variant n = 8, non-fluent variant n = 7, logopenic variant n = 3, and unclassified cases n = 2) and AD (n = 16). Data were collected through the application of a structured questionnaire that was presented in an interview format to the caregiver who knew the patient best.Results: Anomia, paraphasias and motor speech difficulties were the first symptoms capable of differentiating patients with PPA from those with AD, while memory was exclusive of AD. Among the PPA variants, anomia was the initial symptom associated with the semantic variant, while motor speech difficulties were associated with the non-fluent variant. The results are discussed considering the unique cultural and sociodemographic characteristics of this studied population.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that some of the initial symptoms of PPA patients may be unique to clinical variants of PPA and of AD, and their investigation may be useful for the early and differential diagnosis of this population.
“…When analyzing the Brazilian context in which this study was carried out, it is known that the diagnosis of patients with PPA is not always carried out accurately, and mistakes and diagnostic errors may occur due to the delay for the patient to reach the reference services (10,12). Therefore, it is clear that a retrospective investigation of the early symptoms has a more relevant role in this scenario, stressing that a thorough clinical interview should be a priority in monitoring the suspected PPA in this population, contributing to the accuracy of the diagnosis.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…However, most scientific knowledge related to PPA is obtained from studies with English speakers. As the PPA is a syndrome centered on language impairment, it is important to emphasize studies that aim to characterize the profile and linguistic manifestations of speakers of other languages, especially in Latin languages, such as Portuguese (10). The unique characteristics of different languages have different perspectives on the development, plasticity and cognitive reserve of specific linguistic networks and, thus, could have different diagnostic criteria, which would apply for each language specifically (16).…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The characterization of PPA variants can easily be confused with the findings of other neurological disorders, especially with AD. Many cases of PPA are believed to be underdiagnosed, while others still remain without a closed diagnosis or with a long delay to completion (10). Studies have reported that the lvPPA may appear as an initial symptom of AD in atypical cases, being recognized as one of the non-amnestic variants of AD (6).…”
Background: Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) is characterized by progressive language impairment due to focal degeneration of brain areas related to linguistic processing. The detection and differential diagnosis of PPA can be difficult with clinical features that may overlap with features of other neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The scientific production on PPA in Latin American patients is still scarce. This study investigated the first symptoms in a Brazilian sample of patients with PPA in comparison with AD patients.Method: We compared the first symptoms reported by caregivers of people with PPA (n = 20; semantic variant n = 8, non-fluent variant n = 7, logopenic variant n = 3, and unclassified cases n = 2) and AD (n = 16). Data were collected through the application of a structured questionnaire that was presented in an interview format to the caregiver who knew the patient best.Results: Anomia, paraphasias and motor speech difficulties were the first symptoms capable of differentiating patients with PPA from those with AD, while memory was exclusive of AD. Among the PPA variants, anomia was the initial symptom associated with the semantic variant, while motor speech difficulties were associated with the non-fluent variant. The results are discussed considering the unique cultural and sociodemographic characteristics of this studied population.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that some of the initial symptoms of PPA patients may be unique to clinical variants of PPA and of AD, and their investigation may be useful for the early and differential diagnosis of this population.
“…In the case of Brazil, the early detection of PPA is difficult as well as the accurate diagnosis due to our social, economic, and educational scenario ( 12 ). As a consequence, it is difficult to recruit this population for research, and there is a scarcity of studies characterizing the Brazilian population with PPA ( 13 ). Given this context, and in order to collaborate with the characterization of the PPA Brazilian Portuguese speakers, the aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between PPA and the history of learning difficulties in the childhood of patients and their children in comparison to a control group with AD.…”
Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) is a neurological syndrome characterized by impaired language due to neurodegeneration. It is subdivided into three variants: semantic, agrammatic or nonfluent, and logopenic. Pieces of evidence have suggested that learning disabilities in childhood, such as dyslexia, might be susceptibility factors in the occurrence of PPA in adulthood. The objective of this study was to verify the existence of the relationship between PPA and the history of learning disabilities of patients and their children, compared to a control group of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). A questionnaire was applied to investigate the presence of indicators of learning disabilities and difficulties in individuals with PPA and AD and their children. Twenty subjects with PPA and 16 with AD participated in the study. Our findings are presented and discussed in light of the current scientific evidence and the social, educational, and economic Brazilian scenario. Despite the challenges of doing research with individuals with PPA in Brazil, we present the first evidence about the investigation of association between the history of learning disabilities and difficulties and PPA in native Brazilian Portuguese speakers.
“…Brazil has made an important effort to increase the number of phonoaudiologists and language therapists and to raise awareness of PPA among this group. While speech rehabilitation services can be effective at addressing symptoms, they are limited in Latin America ( 55 , 56 ). Other barriers to access include financial constraints, caregiver availability and transportation limitations.…”
Latin America is a vast heterogeneous territory where chronic diseases such as mild cognitive impairment or dementia are becoming higher. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) prevalence in this region is estimated to be around 12–18 cases per thousand persons. However, this prevalence is underestimated given the lack of awareness of FTD even among healthcare professionals. Family members are responsible for the care of patients with FTD at home. These caregivers deliver care despite being ill-equipped and living in the context of austerity policies and social inequities. They often face unsurmountable financial and social burdens that are specific to the region. The most important step to support caregivers in Latin America is to increase awareness of the disease at all levels. Healthcare diplomacy is fundamental to create joint efforts that push policies forward to protect caregivers of FTD patients.
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