Primary progressive aphasia: What is it?

(NEXSTAR) – TV personality and former talk show host Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia after undergoing “a battery of medical tests,” her team announced in a press release issued Thursday.

Williams, 59, is currently receiving care for her conditions, according to the release.

Aphasia, which can cause varying degrees of impairment in speech or understanding language, currently affects more than 2 million Americans, the National Aphasia Association estimates. The condition often results from a stroke or brain injury, but can develop over time due to brain tumors or progressive neurological disease.

Bruce Willis is ‘not totally verbal’ amid health battle, ‘Moonlighting’ creator says

Primary progressive aphasia, as its name suggests, is a progressive form of the condition, meaning the symptoms may start slower before gradually declining, according to the Weill Institute for Neurosciences at the University of California, San Francisco. This type of aphasia can have different causes, but can result from frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), of which frontotemporal dementia is a variant, the National Institute of Health notes.

Aphasia can affect people of any age, though most who are diagnosed are “middle-aged or older,” according to the NIH.

Many forms of aphasia fall within two categories: fluent and nonfluent. Fluent aphasia generally develops from damage to the temporal lobe, and can result in a common form of the condition called Wernicke’s aphasia, which may cause a person to have trouble understanding speech, or speak in “long, complete sentences that have no meaning,” the NIH writes. Nonfluent aphasia, found more commonly in those with damage to the frontal lobe, can result in Broca’s aphasia, a type that may hinder speech and cause a person to speak in short phrases or smaller words, despite generally having a better understanding of speech.

There are, however, many forms of aphasia that may have different symptoms.

Frontotemporal dementia, meanwhile, is a term for multiple disorders characterized by the degeneration of the brain’s frontal or temporal lobes. This condition, too, can affect speech and language, as well as behavior, according to Johns Hopkins.

Williams’ team did not detail her current symptoms, but indicated that she had been under scrutiny for allegedly having trouble with words, acting “erratically” and having “difficulty understanding financial transactions.”

“Wendy is still able to do many things for herself,” her team wrote in the release. “Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way.”

Amid fentanyl crisis, Oregon lawmakers propose more funding for addiction meds in jails

Williams’ diagnosis comes less than two years after the family of actor Bruce Willis revealed that he, too, had been diagnosed with aphasia in March 2022. In 2023, his family released a statement (via the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration) confirming a diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia as well.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.