Dementia With Lewy Bodies

Dementia with lewy bodies is a very complex disease and although it has many of the same symptoms as alzheimers, sufferers also display certain traits of parkinsons disease as well.

There are around ten per cent of cases of dementia with lewy bodies diagnosed out of all new dementia patients.

Dementia with lewy bodies is reported to affect men and women over the age of sixty five equally. Although there are some cases diagnosed in people under sixty five it is very uncommon.

Lewy bodies were so called because they were originally discovered by Dr Lewy in around 1912, and they are circular deposits of proteins which form in the nerve cells of the brain of the patients who have dementia with lewy bodies. The lewy bodies distrupt the work of the chemical messengers in the brain called dopamine and acetylcholine, which help the brain to function normally.

Dementia With Lewy Bodies, Diagnosis

Sufferers of parkinsons disease also have been found to have lewy bodies present in their brain cells also, so this is where the two diseases overlap and they can easily be mis-diagnosed. Many people who suffer from parkinsons disease can later develop dementia with lewy bodies as well.

Dementia with lewy bodies is a disease like alzheimers which causes deterioration of the brain over a number of years as it gets worse. Sufferers of both parkinsons disease and dementia with lewy bodies often display many of the same symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating and planning actitivities, become disorientated and loss even in familiar surroundings. Although with these two diseases the memory is perhaps a little less affected than it is with alzheimers disease.

People who suffer dementia with lewy bodies can also experience problems with muscle stiffness, shaking of the arms and legs, and slowness of movement. Other symptoms are a vacant facial expression, tonal changes to the speaking voice and often they will shuffle their feet when they walk.

Symptoms, Dementia With Lewy Bodies

However, people who have dementia with lewy bodies also display some symptoms that are perculiar to this disease, such as hallucinations and nightmares. They will often report seeing animals or people who are not actually there. They will often sleep for hours at a time during the day light hours and then have restless sleep during the hours of darkness. Sufferers can also be unstable when walking, and they will often fall down or pass out for no apparent reason. This disease also presents fluctuations with the symptoms and abilities, and the sufferer will have good hours and bad hours, or good days and bad days.

It is easy to mis-diagnose dementia with lewy bodies. But the hallucinations and nightmares along with the shaking and muscle stiffness are signs that lewy bodies are present, and this will differentiate dementia with lewy bodies from both alzheimers or parkinson disease. However a scan using modern brain imaging equipment can also be helpful for a clearer diagnosis of dementia with lewy bodies.

Here a some other alzheimers and dementia websites that I found for you to browse. Thank you for visiting Treatment For Alzheimers


Alzheimers & Dementia by Psychologist Dr. Karen Truesdell [San ...
Washingtonpost.com: Markers for Alzheimers Onset
New Studies Underscore Global Importance of Mild Cognitive ...
What is the difference between Alzheimers and Dementia? - Yahoo ...
Dementia encyclopedia topics | Reference.com
Twitter / @LouisaTeach/Alzheimers dementia OCD

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