| Lewy body dementia (LBD), a complex, | aspects of cognition, such as problem solving, | ||
| challenging and surprisingly common brain | complex reasoning, and movement. LBDA has | ||
| disease, is often misdiagnosed as its “cousin,” | just issued a new brochure, Lewy Who? | ||
| Alzheimer's disease. And that could lead to | 35 | Recognizing When It's Not Parkinson's or | |
| 5 | devastating results. According to the Lewy Body | Alzheimer's Disease, that offers a symptom | |
| Dementia Association (LBDA), accurate and | comparison chart that can help clarify the | ||
| early diagnosis is critical because people with | confusion. | ||
| LBD typically have sensitivities to medication, | |||
| so drugs wrongly prescribed for Alzheimer's can | The difference in symptoms is due to the | ||
| 10 | be very harmful to those with LBD. | 40 | difference in how the brain is affected by the |
| Although, LBD is the second most common | diseases. LBD is characterized by an abnormal | ||
| cause of progressive dementia it is not well | buildup of Lewy bodies (alpha-synuclein protein | ||
| recognized by physicians, especially primary | deposits) in the areas of the brain that regulate | ||
| care and general health care providers. | behavior, memory, movement and personality. | ||
| 15 | While the symptoms of LBD may be similar to | 45 | On the other hand, Alzheimer's disease primarily |
| Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, the | affects areas of the brain involving learning and | ||
| treatment strategy is more challenging because | memory. A specialist like a neurologist, geriatric | ||
| fewer medications can be used safely. The need | psychiatrist or a neuropsychologist may be | ||
| to avoid medications that can worsen the | needed to distinguish the symptoms and provide | ||
| 20 | symptoms of LBD cannot be overemphasized. | 50 | an accurate diagnosis. |
| Every patient with this disease and their | |||
| caregivers should be familiar with the list of | Lewy body dementia, which affects 1.4 million | ||
| acceptable and forbidden drugs. | Americans, actually refers to two related | ||
| diagnoses: dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) | |||
| The diseases share some clinical and biological | and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). Both | ||
| 25 | similarities that can make them difficult for | 55 | DLB and PDD are considered Lewy body |
| many physicians to distinguish between. | dementias. With DLB, cognitive symptoms | ||
| Dementia experts are more experienced at | appear before Parkinson-like movement | ||
| differentiating between dementia types | problems. With PDD, disabling cognitive | ||
| Alzheimer's disease affects cognitive function, | symptoms do not develop until more than a year | ||
| 30 | including making new experiences into | 60 | after movement problems begin. |
| memories. The disorder in LBD affects different |