Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a rare type of dementia. It is caused by damage to parts of the brain that control our language, personality, emotions and behaviour.
What is primary progressive aphasia?
In most cases, PPA is caused by frontotemporal dementia. Most people who develop PPA will be in their 50s and 60s.
There are three separate types of PPA:
- Semantic dementia
- Progressive non-fluent aphasia
- Logopenic aphasia
If you would like to find out more about primary progressive aphasia including what is happening in the brain of someone with PPA you can read our blog.
What is Primary progressive aphasia?
Information in this booklet is for anyone who wants to know more about primary progressive aphasia (PPA). This includes people living with PPA, their carers, families and friends.
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This information was updated in April 2023 and is due to be reviewed in April 2025. It was written by Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Information Services team in association with Rare Dementia Support, with input from expert and lay reviewers. Please get in touch using the contact details below if you’d like a version with references or in a different format.
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