Referral patterns for syndromes associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration

We compared demographics of subjects diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) at a group of 5 clinics specializing in this non-Alzheimer dementia against those subjects diagnosed at standard Alzheimer disease centers, to determine any differences in referral patterns between such clinics. Of the two major phenotypes of FTD, behavior and language, the latter more frequently presented to the specialty clinics (46% of FTD diagnoses versus 19%, P < 0.001). Mean age at onset for the behavioral presentation phenotype was one year younger at the specialty clinics (P < 0.01). Mean age at onset for the language phenotype was 3 years older (P < 0.001) than for the behavioral phenotype at standard centers but did not differ between the two evaluating groups. Cases with FTD referred to all of the dementia evaluation sites in this study did not differ significantly from those previously reported in the literature. Clinics specializing in FTD recruit more language presentation cases. There were statistical but not clinically significant differences in ages at onset.