Through the Looking Glass: Lewy Body Dementia
After Alzheimer’s Disease, Lewy body Dementia (LBD) is one of the leading causes of dementia in the elderly, accounting for up to 20% of cases of dementia.
In Lewy body Dementia, abnormal protein structures called Lewy bodies develop in regions of the brain responsible for thinking and movement. These Lewy bodies were first described in 1912 by Friederich Lewy, a colleague of Alois Alzheimer.
LBD symptoms closely resemble those of both Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. The Alzheimer’s-like symptoms of LBD include fluctuating levels of attention and alertness, and a progressive loss of memory, language, reasoning and higher mental functions such as calculation. The Parkinson’s-like symptoms of LBD include rigidity, stiffness, stooped posture and a shuffling gait. Complex, well-formed, but oddly unthreatening visual hallucinations are one of the earliest and most common (>80% incidence) symptoms of LBD and usually consist of people, children or animals.
Here are some more quick facts about LBD:
· LBD is slightly more common in men than women. The average age of onset is 75 to 80 years of age.
· There is no single test to diagnose LBD. Like Alzheimer’s disease, a diagnosis of LBD is considered ‘possible’ or ‘probable’ after other possible diagnoses are considered and eliminated.
· Lewy body Dementia usually has a rapid onset and rapid progression. The average span of time between diagnosis and death is about 5 to 7 years.
· There are no know therapies to slow the progression of LBD, nor is there a known cure. The goal of treatment is to control the cognitive, psychiatric and motor symptoms of the patient.
For additional information, click here for the Alzheimer Society of Canada or here for the Alzheimer Society of Toronto. The Lewy Body Dementia Association is also an excellent resource.
Jennifer Hartman, Guest Blogger
