DCC Content Search: Lewy Body Dementia

People with Lewy body dementia have a progressive decline in their memory and ability to think; in this way, Lewy body dementia resembles Alzheimer's disease. However, the cognitive ability or alertness of a person with Lewy body dementia is more likely to fluctuate from one moment to the next, which is not like Alzheimer's disease. They also often have visual hallucinations (seeing things that aren't there) and delusions (believing something that is not true). On the surface, people with Lewy body dementia often appear to have Parkinson's disease since they often also have problems with movement.

This form of dementia is caused by the build-up of proteins, named Lewy bodies, within the brain. Lewy bodies, named after the physician who discovered them, Friederich H. Lewy, act like the plaques and tangles that develop in the brains of people with Alzheimers disease. Like plaques, Lewy bodies interrupt the normal function of brain cells by making it harder for them to communicate and by leading to cell death. Currently, the cause for the Lewy body protein buildup is not known.

In contrast to other forms of dementia that initially affect specific parts of the brain, Lewy bodies may develop in several different areas of the brain, which can cause a wider range of physical and behavioral symptoms. The range of possible symptoms includes many of the same ones seen in persons with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

It is often difficult for physicians to diagnose Lewy body dementia because it is similar to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and because a patient may actually have a combination of these diseases. A person with Lewy body dementia may first be diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia when symptoms first appear.