Dementia with Lewy bodies affects around 1.4 million Americans and one of the most common types of dementia, after Alzheimer’s disease, and difficult to treat at an early stage.
Lewy body Dementia (LBD) can develop in people with Parkinson’s disease or have a similar onset of memory issues that one might see in Alzheimer’s disease.
In both cases, doctors see the characteristic “Lewy Bodies” means a buildup of abnormal protein deposits in the brain cells that are responsible for behavior, thinking, and movement.
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“Dementia is the development of a change in thinking that affects day-to-day functioning,” says Dr. James Leverenz.
While memory loss is the most well-known symptom of dementia, people with LBD don’t necessarily experience that early on. They often have more insight into the physical and mental changes they’re experiencing compared to people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Like Alzheimer’s disease, LBD can worsen over time. People with LBD commonly show five symptoms:
1.) Mental slow-down
People find they get distracted more easily, stop processing the information as quickly as they used to and multitasking becomes more challenging.
Some trouble is normal as you age, but shouldn’t influence a person’s ability to perform their normal day to day activities.
2.) Visual hallucinations
Patients with LBD may perceive things differently, like a dog or person. They may recognize that the objects don’t exist and usually aren’t frightened by them.
It becomes problematic when people start believing their visual hallucinations are true
says Dr. Leverenz.
If they call the police or can’t fall asleep because they’re scared, we may need to manage this symptom.
3.) Parkinsonism
Some people many times develop Parkinson’s disease-like motor symptoms.
- Tremors — involuntary shaking of the hands, arms or legs, when just resting or while walking.
- Shuffling gait, which looks like the person is shuffling their feet as they walk, perhaps bent forward.
- Slower movements.
- Stiffness or tightness in the limbs beyond what would occur with normal aging.
- An imbalance that could lead to a fall.
4.) Fluctuations
A family member, or affected person, may report that there are normal days but other times seems confused or sleepy.
Often the confused or sleep times clear up without any intervention.
If you or a loved one experiencing confusion or sleepy behavior a few times, it’s a good idea to see a doctor.
5.) Sleep disorder
Patients many times have been seen to develop a sleep disorder where they physically behave in their dreams. According to the doctor, such disorders appear much before any other symptoms and are usually noticed by a bed partner.
We can diagnose the sleep disorder with a sleep study. And there’s a high chance that a person with this disorder will develop LBD or Parkinson’s disease
says Dr. Leverenz.
Often when someone comes in for an evaluation, and we ask about sleep disturbances, the bed partner says, ‘Oh, they’ve been doing that for years.’
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If you notice any such change in your bed partner’s behavior, call a doctor. Your partner may not have LBD, but they could have sleep apnea or another sleep disturbance worth treating — so you can both get your 40 winks.
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