Lewy body dementia (LBD) is the second most common form of neurodegenerative dementia, after Alzheimer’s disease.
LBD is not a rare disease. It affects more than 1 million people in the United States. LBD is often misdiagnosed because its symptoms may closely resemble those of more commonly known disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. (For more information, see Is It Lewy body dementia or Something Else?)
LBD is an umbrella term for a type of dementia associated with the presence of Lewy bodies (abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein) in the brain. It has two related diagnoses:
- Dementia with Lewy bodies: A person first develops dementia, then later has other LBD symptoms, such as changes in movement.
- Parkinson’s disease dementia: A person first has changes in movement, leading to a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, then later develops dementia.
In some cases, a person first has neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as hallucinations, also leading to a diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies.
As time passes, people with both diagnoses develop similar cognitive, physical, sleep, and behavioral symptoms. The earliest symptoms of dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia are different, but both diseases are caused by the same underlying biological changes in the brain.
LBD is a multisystem disease that usually requires a comprehensive treatment approach, with a team of physicians and other health care professionals. Early diagnosis and treatment may extend quality of life and independence. Many people with LBD enjoy significant lifestyle improvement with a comprehensive treatment approach, and some may even experience little change from year to year.
Learning about LBD can help people with the disease and their families cope with the challenges of living with LBD. See 10 Things You Should Know About Lewy body dementia.
