Current clinical and research practices on frontotemporal dementia in Brazil: a national survey

Background Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a frequent cause of young-onset dementia and represents a major challenge for the diagnosis and clinical management. It is essential to evaluate the difficulties faced by physicians on the diagnostic workup and on patient care.Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the current practices and the local limits on the diagnosis and management of FTD in Brazil.Methods We elaborated an online survey, composed of 29 questions and divided in four parts, comprising questions about existing health facilities, clinical practices related to FTD, and suggestions to increment the national research on FTD. The invitation to participate was sent by email to all neurologists affiliated to the Brazilian Academy of Neurology ( n = 3658), and to all physicians who attended the XII Meeting of Researchers on Alzheimer's disease, in 2019 ( n = 187). The invitation was also diffused through social media.Results 256 Brazilian physicians answered the questionnaire. The three most relevant disorders for the differential diagnosis of FTD were Alzheimer's disease (AD) ( n = 211), bipolar disorder ( n = 117) and dementia with Lewy bodies ( n = 92). Most respondents (125/256) reported the difficulty in performing genetic testing as the main limit in the diagnostic of FTD. 93% and 63% of participants considered that the assessment of social cognition and AD CSF biomarkers are useful for the diagnosis of FTD, respectively.Conclusions The present study may provide valuable insights for the medical education and clinical training of physicians, and to foster future research on FTD in Brazil.

Automated summary

The aim of this study was to investigate the difficulties and limitations faced by Brazil in the diagnosis and management of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). A total of 256 Brazilian physicians participated in an online survey, and the results showed that the main difficulty in the diagnosis of FTD was the performance of genetic testing. Social cognition assessment and AD CSF biomarkers were considered useful for the diagnosis of FTD by 93% and 63% of participants, respectively.