Survival rates in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

To evaluate the survival rates in well-characterized cohorts of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) subtypes – behavioral variant (bvFTD), progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA), and semantic dementia (SD) – and both typical (amnestic) and atypical (aphasic: logopenic progressive aphasia [LPA]) presentations of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Three hundred and twenty-one participants (54 bvFTD, 26 PNFA, 22 SD, 20 LPA, 32 AD, 167 controls) were recruited. Patients underwent a comprehensive baseline assessment and annual reviews. Survival data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazard models. Median survival from symptom onset was longest in SD (11.9 years) and shortest in LPA (7 years). Median survival for the bvFTD, PNFA, and AD groups was 8.7, 8.6, and 10 years, respectively. SD survival was significantly longer than PNFA and AD. Female sex was associated with shorter survival in LPA. Shorter symptom duration at baseline assessment was related to shorter survival in bvFTD, SD, LPA, and AD. Lower overall cognition in bvFTD, LPA, and AD, and worse functional outcomes in SD and AD at baseline were associated with shorter survival. Our findings demonstrate distinct survival patterns across FTD and AD subtypes. Demographic and presenting clinical features provide valuable prognostic insights for survival.