Dementia With Lewy Bodies: An Overview

Abstract

Background: Dementia is a neurocognitive disorder that involves multiple cognitive deficits, including memory impairment. Dementia occurs in a variety of disease processes, including Alzheimer disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies, the two most prevalent neurocognitive diseases. This paper reviews the signs and symptoms, neuropathology, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

Methods: Terms searched included “Lewy body dementia,” “Lewy body disease,” “cognitive disorders,” and “neurodegenerative diseases.” Priority was given to peer-reviewed sources published within the last five years.

Summary: In addition to standard neurocognitive disorder symptoms, patients with DLB present clinically fluctuating cognition, visual hallucinations, and Parkinsonism as well as a variety of other symptoms with lower diagnostic sensitivity. Clinical signs, cognitive assessments, and radiologic imaging are used to diagnose DLB as being distinct from disorders like AD, Parkinson disease dementia (PDD), delirium, and normal aging changes. Interventions for this disease may be pharmacological or non-pharmacological. Pharmacological treatments include cholinesterase inhibitors, Levadopa, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. Non-pharmacological interventions include occupational therapy, cognitive stimulation, and physical activity.