Lewy body

• Lewy body dementia:

  • Mostly affects those over the age of 50
  • Affects slightly more men than women
  • Rapidly progressive - death commonly occurs within 7 years post diagnosis
• Aetiology:

  • Spherical lewy body proteins (alpha-synuclein) are deposited in the brain
  • These lewy bodies are also present in Parkinson's disease
  • In Parkinson's they are mainly deposited in the substantia nigra, whereas they are more widespread in Lew body dementia
• Clinical features:

  • Visual hallucinations and Parkinson-like symptoms
  • If physical symptoms precede cognitive decline by more than a year, the diagnosis is often Parkinson's with superimposed cognitive decline
  • At presentation - problems multitasking and performing complex cognitive actions are usually the primary issue rather than memory
  • Sleep disorders common
  • Fluctuations in cognitive ability