Dementia with Lewy bodies
| Subclass of | Lewy body dementia  |
|---|---|
| Dem name after | Frederic Lewy |
| Health specialty | neurology |
| Possible medical findings | cingulate island sign |
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) be a type of dementia wey be characterized by changes insyd sleep, behavior, cognition, movement, den regulation of automatic bodily functions. Unlike sam oda dementias, memory loss no fi be an early symptom. De disease dey worsen over time wey e usually be diagnosed wen cognitive impairment dey interfere plus normal daily functioning. Togeda plus Parkinson's disease dementia, DLB be one of de two Lewy body dementias. E be a common form of dementia, buh de prevalence no be known accurately wey chaw diagnoses be missed. Na dem first describe de disease on autopsy by Kenji Kosaka insyd 1976, wey he name de condition several years later.
REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)—insyd wich people loose de muscle paralysis (atonia) wey normally dey occur during REM sleep den act out dema dreams—be a core feature. RBD fi appear years anaa decades before oda symptoms. Oda core features be visual hallucinations, dem mark fluctuations insyd attention anaa alertness, den parkinsonism (slowness of movement, trouble walking, anaa rigidity). A presumptive diagnosis fi be made if several disease dey feature anaa biomarkers be present; de diagnostic workup fi include blood tests, neuropsychological tests, imaging, den sleep studies. A definitive diagnosis usually dey require an autopsy.
Chaw people plus DLB no get affected family members, although occasionally DLB dey run insyd a family. De exact cause be unknown buh dey involve formation of abnormal clumps of protein insyd neurons thru out de brain. Dey manifest as Lewy bodies (dem discover insyd 1912 by Frederic Lewy) den Lewy neurites, dese clumps affect both de central den de autonomic nervous systems. Heart function den every level of gastrointestinal function—from chewing to defecation—fi be affected, constipation be one of de most common symptoms. Low blood pressure upon standing sanso fi occur. DLB commonly dey cause psychiatric symptoms, such as altered behavior, depression, anaa apathy.
DLB typically dey begin after de age of fifty,[1] den people plus de disease get an average life expectancy, plus wide variability, of about four years after diagnosis.[2] Der be no cure anaa medication to stop de disease from progressing, wey people insyd de latter stages of DLB fi be unable to care give demaselves. Treatments dey aim to relieve sam of de symptoms den reduce de burden on caregivers. Medicines such as donepezil den rivastigmine fi temporarily improve cognition den overall functioning, den melatonin fi be used give sleep-related symptoms. Dem usually dey avoid antipsychotics, even for hallucinations, secof severe reactions dey occur insyd almost half of people plus DLB,[3] den dema use fi result in death. Management of de chaw different symptoms be challenging, as e dey involve multiple specialties den education of caregivers.
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "Lewy Body Dementia | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke". www.ninds.nih.gov (in English). Retrieved 2026-04-16.
- ↑ Armstrong 2021, sec. "Progression".
- ↑ Taylor et al. 2020, sec. "Neuropsychiatric symptoms".
Read further
[edit | edit source]- Adams BD (January 16, 2013). "Lewy Body Dementia in the Emergency Department". Postgraduate Medical Journal. Archived from the original on April 19, 2018.
- "Treatment of Behavioral Symptoms: When to Consider Antipsychotic Medications in LBD". Lewy Body Dementia Association. September 4, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2023. – lists of typical and atypical antipsychotics
- "Emergency room treatment of psychosis". Lewy Body Dementia Association. September 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
External links
[edit | edit source]
- McKeith IG (October 10, 2017). Updated diagnostic criteria and management of Lewy body dementia (Video). ALZForum co-hosted with Lewy Body Dementia Association. Retrieved April 8, 2018.