Impact of trauma and healthcare response to frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementia is a neurodegenerative disease that mainly affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, causing changes in behaviour, personality and language. Although its cause was mainly genetic, traumatic events were also considered to act as triggers or accelerators of its clinical onset. In Latin America, particularly in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, this relationship has become especially relevant due to population ageing, stigmatisation, and deficiencies in mental health systems. In Argentina, the lack of a specific national plan hampered comprehensive care; Brazil implemented community-based policies, albeit with regional inequalities; and Uruguay led regional cooperation efforts but still faced limitations in specific policies for dementia. It was concluded that public strategies including prevention, early diagnosis and support for caregivers needed to be developed.