Media mogul Ted Turner recently revealed he has Lewy body dementia, the second most-common progressive dementia after Alzheimer's disease.
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According to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lewy body dementia refers to the presence of Lewy bodies, or proteins in the body's cerebral cortex and brain stem.
The presence of these proteins, which are commonly found in individuals with Parkinson’s, are typically associated with difficulty with and slowness of movement, muscular rigidity and tremor.
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How is LBD different from Alzheimer’s?
According to the CDC, unlike Alzheimer's patients, those with LBD may experience more marked cognitive fluctuations and prominent hallucinations.
Additionally, LBD patients may feel drowsy even with adequate sleep, may stare into space for long intervals of time and are more likely to experience nonsensical or disorganized speech compared to individuals with Alzheimer’s.
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How many people are affected by LBD?
The disease affects an estimated 1.4 million individuals and their families in the United States, according to the Lewy Body Dementia Association.
What are the common symptoms associated with LBD?
Aside from dementia, which involves problems with memory and analytical thinking, those with LBD may experience unpredictable changes in concentration and attention, hallucinations, sleep behavior disorder, dizziness, sexual dysfunction, depression and other mood disorders.
As aforementioned, Parkinson’s-like symptoms are also common. This includes tremor, rigidity and slowness of movement.
Because LBD is progressive, many symptoms can worsen over time. Patients on average die about eight years after the onset of symptoms.
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Some risk factors associated with an abnormal buildup of Lewy bodies, according to the Mayo Clinic:
- Age: Those older than age 60 are at highest risk.
- Gender: Men are more likely to be at risk for LBD.
- Having a family member with LBD or Parkinson's also increases risk.
What are some treatment options for LBD?
There is no cure for LBD, but doctors will often prescribe medication or treatment for individual symptoms. For example, individuals may be prescribed rivastigmine to help increase brain chemicals necessary for memory and judgment, or cardbidopa-levodopa to reduce Parkinson's symptoms.
However, antipsychotic drugs are known to worsen symptoms, so physicians may suggest nondrug approaches to combat hallucinations or other dementia-related symptoms.
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