What Is Louie Body Dementia

Two Of The Following Are Present :

• Fluctuating cognition: Mental problems varying during the day, especially attention and alertness.
• Visual hallucinations: Detailed and well-formed visions, which occur and recur.
• RBD: Physically acting out dreams while asleep.

A DLB diagnosis is even more likely if the individual also experiences any of the following: repeated falls, fainting, brief loss of consciousness, delusions, apathy, anxiety, problems with temperature and blood pressure regulation, urinary incontinence, and chronic constipation, loss of smell, or sensitivity to neuroleptic medications that are given to control hallucinations and other psychiatric symptoms.

Finally, the timing of symptoms is a reliable clue: if cognitive symptoms appear before or within a year of motor symptoms, DLB is more likely the cause than Parkinsonâs disease. Signs of stroke or vascular dementia usually negate the likelihood of DLB.

Testing is usually done to rule out other possible causes of dementia, motor, or behavioral symptoms. Brain imaging can detect brain shrinkage and help rule out stroke, fluid on the brain , or subdural hematoma. Blood and other tests might show vitamin B12 deficiency, thyroid problems, syphilis, HIV, or vascular disease. Depression is also a common cause of dementia-like symptoms. Additional tests can include an electroencephalogram or spinal tap .

Coping With Cognitive Changes

Some medications used to treat Alzheimer’s disease also may be used to treat the cognitive symptoms of LBD. These drugs, called cholinesterase inhibitors, act on a chemical in the brain that is important for memory and thinking. They may also improve hallucinations, apathy, and delusions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved one Alzheimer’s drug, rivastigmine, to treat cognitive symptoms in Parkinson’s disease dementia. Several other drugs are being tested as possible treatments for LBD symptoms or to disrupt the underlying disease process.

Behaviors Seen In Parkinsons Disease Dementia

As dementia progresses, managing disorientation, confusion, agitation, and impulsivity can be a key component of care.

Some patients experience hallucinations or delusions as a complication of Parkinsons disease. These may be frightening and debilitating. Approximately 50 percent of those with the disease may experience them.

The best thing to do when giving care to someone experiencing hallucinations or delusions from Parkinsons disease dementia is to keep them calm and reduce their stress.

Take note of their symptoms and what they were doing before they exhibited signs of hallucinating and then let their doctor know.

This element of the disease can be particularly challenging for caregivers. Patients may become unable to care for themselves or be left alone.

Some ways to make caregiving easier include:

• sticking to a normal routine whenever possible
• being extra comforting after any medical procedures
• limiting distractions
• using curtains, nightlights, and clocks to help stick to a regular sleep schedule
• remembering that the behaviors are a factor of the disease and not the person

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Understanding Lewy Bodies Disease

Dementia with Lewy bodies is a form of progressive dementia. It’s caused by the decay of the tissues in the brain.

People with DLB have a buildup of abnormal protein particles in their brain tissue, called Lewy bodies. Lewy bodies are also found in the brain tissue of people with Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease . But in these conditions, Lewy bodies are generally found in different parts of the brain.

The presence of Lewy bodies in DLB, PD, and AD suggests a link among these conditions. But scientists havent yet figured out what the link is.

DLB affects a persons ability to think, reason, and process information. It can also affect movement, personality, and memory. DLB becomes more common with age. It often starts when a person is in his or her 60s and 70s. DLB is progressive, which means it continues to develop over time. There are several types of dementia with different causes.

What causes dementia with Lewy bodies?

The decay or deterioration of brain tissue causes dementia with Lewy bodies. DLB may be genetic. But it is not always clear why someone develops DLB. Lewy bodies in the brain affect substances called neurotransmitters. A neurotransmitter is a chemical that helps send signals from one nerve cell to another.

One type of neurotransmitter is dopamine. It helps send signals that cause muscle movement. Lewy bodies interfere with the making of dopamine. A lack of dopamine causes movement problems, such as those seen in PD.

Is There Treatment Available

At present there is no cure for Lewy body disease. Symptoms such as depression and disturbing hallucinations can usually be reduced by medication. However, medications to relieve hallucinations may increase muscle tremors and stiffness. Conversely, anti-Parkinson drugs may make hallucinations worse.

Emerging evidence suggests that cholinesterase inhibitor drugs may be quite helpful for some people with this condition.

People with this form of dementia are very sensitive to the side effects of neuroleptic drugs such as antipsychotic medications. It is essential all medications are supervised by a specialist to avoid these severe side effects.

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How Lewy Body Dementia Gripped Robin Williams

Hit by a vicious case, the actor said he wanted to reboot his brain

In the months before his death, Robin Williams was besieged by paranoia and so confused he couldnt remember his lines while filming a movie, as his brain was ambushed by what doctors later identified as an unusually severe case of Lewy body dementia.

Robin was losing his mind and he was aware of it. Can you imagine the pain he felt as he experienced himself disintegrating? the actors widow, Susan Schneider Williams, wrote in a wrenching editorial published this week in the journal Neurology.

The title of her piece: The terrorist inside my husbands brain.

Susan Williams addressed the editorial to neurologists, writing that she hoped husbands story would help you understand your patients along with their spouses and caregivers a little more.

Susan Williams has previously blamed Lewy body dementia for her husbands death by suicide in 2014. About 1.3 million Americans have the disease, which is caused by protein deposits in the brain. Williams was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease a few months before he died the telltale signs of Lewy body dementia in his brain were not discovered until an autopsy.

The editorial chronicles Williamss desperation as he sought to understand a bewildering array of symptoms that started with insomnia, constipation, and an impaired sense of smell and soon spiraled into extreme anxiety, tremors, and difficulty reasoning.

Nothing worked.

Welcome To The Lewy Body Society

The Lewy Body Society is a charity registered in England and Wales and in Scotland whose mission is to fund research into Lewy body dementia and to raise awareness of the disease. DLB is the second most common type of neurodegenerative dementia in older people after Alzheimers, accounting for approximately 15-20% of all people living with dementia. We also hope to provide a community focus for those who live with dementia with Lewy bodies along with their carers and families. The website provides information to help those who need to understand the disease and its impact.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

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Is Lewy Body Dementia Hereditary & What Is The Life Expectancy Of A Person With Lewy Body Dementia

Most patients suffering from Lewy Body Dementia prefer visiting a primary care physician at the initial stage. Diagnosing the disorder can be a real problem if the symptoms grow severe.

There are many families that have been affected by Lewy Body Dementia . However, it has been seen that very few individuals and even medical professionals are aware of the diagnostic criteria and symptoms. Some even dont have the idea whether or not the disease exists. Therefore, you should know about Lewy Body Dementia not only to save yourself but also your loved ones, families and friends. Lewy body dementia is a type of progressive dementia that comes only after Alzheimers disease dementia.

Is Dementia A Symptom Of Both

One of the biggest similarities between PD and LBD is dementia. Some studies have found that approximately 78 percent of PD patients will eventually develop dementia.4 More specifically, almost half of Parkinsons patients will develop a certain type of dementia called Parkinsons Dementia, usually 10-15 years after their initial PD diagnosis.3 People with Parkinsons Dementia commonly experience poor memory and concentration, slowed thinking, confusion, depression, emotional changes, delusions, and visual hallucinations.

Parkinsons dementia is different than LBD, mainly in which symptoms occur first . Patients with Parkinsons Dementia will first show Parkinsons motor symptoms, followed by dementia many years after diagnosis. Conversely, LBD patients will first show dementia symptoms and may show motor symptoms later.3

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What Are The Symptoms Of Lewy Body Dementia

LBD is a progressive disease. This means that the symptoms start slowly and get worse over time. The most common symptoms include changes in cognition, movement, sleep, and behavior:

• Dementia, which is a loss of mental functions that is severe enough to affect your daily life and activities
• Changes in concentration, attention, alertness, and wakefulness. These changes usually happen from day to day. But sometimes they can also happen throughout the same day.
• Visual hallucinations, which means seeing things that are not there
• Problems with movement and posture, including slowness of movement, difficulty walking, and muscle stiffness. These are called parkinsonian motor symptoms.
• REM sleep behavior disorder, a condition in which a person seems to act out dreams. It may include vivid dreaming, talking in one’s sleep, violent movements, or falling out of bed. This may be the earliest symptom of LBD in some people. It can appear several years before any other LBD symptoms.
• Changes in behavior and mood, such as depression, anxiety, and apathy

In the early stages of LBD, symptoms can be mild, and people can function fairly normally. As the disease gets worse, people with LBD need more help due to problems with thinking and movement. In the later stages of the disease, they often cannot care for themselves.

Is Lewy Body Dementia An Inherited Condition

One of the more recent discoveries toward identifying a cause of Lewy body dementia is the finding of an increasing number of gene mutations. Two genetic risk factors recently discovered are variants in the APOE and GBA genes. APOE is already known to increase the risk of developing Alzheimers disease. There is growing evidence that it also increases the risk for dementia with lewy bodies. Similarly, the GBA gene increases the risk for both Parkinsons disease and dementia with lewy bodies. Despite these findings, genetic changes as a cause of LBD are still considered rare by scientists. Most cases of Lewy body dementia are not thought to be inherited.

Genetic testing for routine screening for LBD is not currently recommended. Discuss the pros and cons of testing with your healthcare providers if you have a family history of multiple members with Parkinsons disease and/or dementia with lewy bodies.

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What Makes Lewy Body Dementia Unique

While many symptoms between Alzheimers and Lewy Body Dementia overlap, the development and severity are one of their key differences.

Seniors with LBD will have memory loss, but it wont be as severe as those with Alzheimers or other forms of dementia. With LBD, movement symptoms are more common and evident, especially in the early stages.

Brain scans can only show scientists so much, so they must rely on observable symptoms.

Symptoms Of Dementia With Lewy Bodies

People with dementia with Lewy bodies may have:

• hallucinations seeing, hearing or smelling things that are not there
• problems with understanding, thinking, memory and judgement this is similar to Alzheimer’s disease, although memory may be less affected in people with dementia with Lewy bodies
• confusion or sleepiness this can change over minutes or hours
• slow movement, stiff limbs and tremors
• disturbed sleep, often with violent movements and shouting out
• fainting spells, unsteadiness and falls

These problems can make daily activities increasingly difficult and someone with the condition may eventually be unable to look after themselves.

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The Link To Parkinsons Disease

Most people with Parkinsons disease have Lewy bodies in their brains. Its these clusters that cause some or all of the motor symptoms of Parkinsons disease, as well as memory or cognitive problems, visual hallucinations, and problems with alertness.

We rarely know if a living patient has Lewy bodies with certainty, however. Its not until an autopsy that they can be seen, says Liana Rosenthal, M.D., assistant professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. If we see Lewy bodies in someones brain during an autopsy, thats considered a pathologic certainty of Parkinsons disease, she says.

As with Parkinsons, Lewy body dementia is associated with a depletion of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. These are:

• Dopamine: This neurotransmitter helps transmit signals that control muscle movement. When the accumulation of Lewy bodies blocks dopamines production and transmission, the result is the hallmark movement issues of Parkinsons disease.
• Acetylcholine: This neurotransmitter does its work in the parts of the brain responsible for memory, thinking and processing. When Lewy bodies build up in these areas, they interfere with acetylcholine, causing symptoms of dementia.

Rem Sleep Behavior Disorder

LBD: People with LBD sometimes experience REM sleep behavior disorder, a dysfunction where they physically act out the situations in their dreams. Some research suggests that REM sleep behavior disorder can be one of the earlier predictors of LBD.

Alzheimers:REM sleep behavior disorder is not typically present in Alzheimers, although other types of sleep disturbances may occur.

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What Is Louie Body Dementia

What is Louie Body Dementia? Louie Body dementia is an alternative spelling of Lewy Body Dementia, a type of dementia commonly associated with Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease. In fact, because the symptoms between both of these diseases and Lewy Body dementia are so similar, some doctors are uncertain as to whether Lewy Body dementia is a separate condition, or simply a variant of Alzheimers and Parkinsons.

Like many other forms of dementia, Lewy Body dementia is a progressive disease for which there is no known cure. It is the second most common form of degenerative dementia diagnosed in elderly patients and accounts for around 10% of cases, although it is often misdiagnosed.

What is Louie body dementia and what other variations of the name are commonly used?

There are several variants of the name including Lewy body disease, diffuse Lewy body disease, cortical Lewy body disease, Lewy body variant of Alzheimers, and Parkinsons disease with dementia.

Where is the term Lewy Body derived from?

What are the symptoms of Lewy body dementia?

Many of the symptoms of Lewy body dementia are similar to those seen in Parkinsons disease, although in the early stages of the disease these are either very mild or not yet present. Such symptoms include stiffness and rigidity in muscles, tremors, and difficulties with spontaneous movement.

What is Louie body dementia and is there any treatment for the condition?

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How Does Lewy Body Dementia Affect The Body And Brain

Lewy Body Dementia is one of the most common types of dementia after Alzheimers disease. Like Alzheimers disease, the brain is affected by the clumping of protein deposits, called Lewy bodies, in the brain.

When Lewy bodies accumulate in the nerve cells of the brain, it can affect a persons ability to think, remember, and move their body. Lewy bodies can also be found in people with Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease dementia.

Similar to plaques and tangles, the protein buildups in the brain often seen in Alzheimers patients, Lewy bodies are microscopic proteins that build up to disrupt brain cell communication.

People who have Lewy bodies can either develop dementia with Lewy bodies or Parkinsons disease dementia.

Currently, there is no cure for LBD, however, there are prescriptions that can ease the symptoms of the disease.

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Types Of Lewy Body Dementia And Diagnosis

LBD refers to either of two related diagnoses dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia. Both diagnoses have the same underlying changes in the brain and, over time, people with either diagnosis develop similar symptoms. The difference lies largely in the timing of cognitive and movement symptoms.

In DLB, cognitive symptoms develop within a year of movement symptoms. People with DLB have a decline in thinking ability that may look somewhat like Alzheimer’s disease. But over time, they also develop movement and other distinctive symptoms of LBD.

In Parkinson’s disease dementia, cognitive symptoms develop more than a year after the onset of movement symptoms . Parkinson’s disease dementia starts as a movement disorder, with symptoms such as slowed movement, muscle stiffness, tremor, and a shuffling walk. These symptoms are consistent with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Later on, cognitive symptoms of dementia and changes in mood and behavior may arise.

Not all people with Parkinson’s disease develop dementia, and it is difficult to predict who will. Many older people with Parkinson’s develop some degree of dementia.

Caregivers may be reluctant to talk about a person’s symptoms when that person is present. Ask to speak with the doctor privately if necessary. The more information a doctor has, the more accurate a diagnosis can be.

Parkinsons Alzheimers And Lewy Body Dementia

Since Lewy body dementia is commonly misdiagnosed for both Parkinsons and Alzheimers, it is helpful to understand how these diseases overlap.

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Treatment Of Behavior And Mood Problems In Lewy Body Dementia

Behavioral and mood problems in people with LBD can arise from hallucinations, delusions, pain, illness, stress, or anxiety. They may also be the result of frustration, fear, or feeling overwhelmed. The person may resist care or lash out verbally or physically.

Medications are appropriate if the behavior interferes with the person’s care or the safety of the person or others. If medication is used, then the lowest possible dose for the shortest period of time is recommended.

The first step is to visit a doctor to see if a medical condition unrelated to LBD is causing the problem. Injuries, fever, urinary tract or pulmonary infections, pressure ulcers , and constipation can worsen behavioral problems and increase confusion.

Certain medications, such as anticholinergics and antihistamines may also cause behavioral problems. For example, some medications for sleep problems, pain, bladder control, and LBD-related movement symptoms can cause confusion, agitation, hallucinations, and delusions. Similarly, some anti-anxiety medicines can actually increase anxiety in people with LBD. Review your medications with your doctor to determine if any changes are needed.

Antidepressants can be used to treat depression and anxiety, which are common in LBD. Many of them are often well tolerated by people with LBD.