This is the first in a four-part series to help shed light on this commonly misdiagnosed form of dementia.
Lewy Body Dementia (or LBD) is the second most common form of degenerative dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, affecting over 1.4 million people. But distinguishing its symptoms from those of other diseases can be tricky, often leading to misdiagnosis as Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease.
Lewy Body Dementia most commonly presents in these 3 ways:
– Slowness in movement and rigidity in muscles, which leads to a Parkinson’s diagnosis with the later onset of dementia (commonly called Parkinson’s Disease Dementia, or PDD)
– Decline in memory and cognitive function that may seem like Alzheimer’s at first, but has atypical accompanying symptoms
– Neuropsychiatric issues, most notably hallucinations and behavioral inconsistencies
As you can see, the tendency for misdiagnosis is common. Paying careful attention to symptoms is truly the only way that Lewy Body Dementia can be diagnosed, and even then, it is only a clinical diagnosis based on a collection of behaviors and symptoms.
While extensive neurological and physical evaluations can help doctors narrow the possibility down to Lewy Body Dementia in a person, the diagnosis can only be confirmed after death when the brain tissue can be viewed under a microscope. This was the case in the passing of actor and comedian, Robin Williams. It was confirmed shortly after his death that he indeed suffered from Lewy Body Dementia in addition to Parkinson’s disease.
For this reason, it is crucial to understand the signs and symptoms of this devastating disease. This is especially important because medications meant for other diseases may actually worsen Lewy Body dementia. In our next post, we will cover the symptoms to look for, including a helpful checklist that you can go over with your family and your physician to determine if Lewy Body Dementia is the correct diagnosis.
DOWNLOAD: Lewy Body Dementia Fact Sheet
