Ralph Klein suffering from Pick’s disease

CALGARY – One of Canada’s most quick witted and popular politicians has been diagnosed with dementia, a disease that affects nearly half a million Canadians.

While Alzheimer’s is the leading form of dementia, it develops it many other ways.

Last Friday, former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein was diagnosed with frontal temporal dementia.

“Frontal temporal dementia, also known as FDT or Pick’s disease, it’s an under recognized condition that accounts for about 10% of all dementia,” says Dr. Ian MacKenzie, Professor of Neuropathology at UBC.

Although rare, its impact can be devastating.

Those suffering from the disease have extreme difficulty recalling and comprehending words which makes it difficult to read, write and even speak. They also have difficulty making decisions and performing complex tasks. It differs from Alzheimer’s in that memory remains intact.

For Klein, it’s had enormous impact on his speech.

“He has a progressive aphasia which means that his ability to use language and understand language will be impaired first but because it’s a progressive disease it will continue to get worse in time and he will start to show other symptoms more common with other types of dementia,” says Sarah Price, Alzheimer’s Society.

Those diagnosed with Pick’s disease have abnormal substances, called Pick bodies, inside nerve cells in the damaged areas of the brain.

Pick bodies contain an abnormal form of a protein called tau, which is found in all nerve cells; however, those with Pick’s have an abnormal amount of this type of protein.

The exact cause of the abnormality is unknown. The disease can occur in people as young as 20 but usually begins between ages 40 and 60.

The disease gets worse overtime as tissues in the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain begin to shrink over time.

Pick’s disease is tentatively diagnosed based on symptoms and the results of various tests including a neuropsychological assessment, brain MRI, EEG or a CT scan.

There is no specific treatment for Pick’s disease; certain antidepressants and antipsychotics may help manage mood swings but further research is needed. Patients may also take medications used to treat other types of dementia.

In the coming decades, dementia cases are set to rise dramatically with 1.1 million Canadians projected to have the disease within 25 years.

According to the Alzheimer’s Society, Canada is unprepared.

“One of the things that we can hope for with Mr. Klein’s diagnosis being a politician is that this will help Canada understand from a political level that we need a strategy across this country that will help people with a diagnosis,” says Price.

Most cases of dementia are incurable. Drugs can help manage symptoms and even delay progression of the disease, but until new treatments are found, dementia remains a slow fade to black for its victims.