Lewy Body Dementia

This condition is also known as dementia with lewy bodies. This type of progressive dementia is second most common after Alzheimer’s dementia. Lewy bodies are protein deposits arises in the nerve cellls of the brain which are involved in the process of thinking, memory and motor control.

Symptoms

Symptoms include:

Visual hallucinations
Signs of Parkinson’s disease
Poor regulation of body functions
Thinking and cognitive problems
Difficulties in sleep
Depression
Having periods of fluctuating attention
Loss of motivation (apathy)

Causes

Main cause of lewy body dementia is the accumulation of proteins in the nerve cells of brain. Patients also have plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease. These proteins are also seen with Parkinson’s disease.

Complications

This condition is progressive and can be complicated into:

Dementia being more severe
Aggressive behaviour habits
Falling and injury risk increases
Worsening of tremors
Death can occur after 8 years of symptoms.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of this condition depends upon detailed medical history and complete general physical examination of the patient. Diagnosis mainly involved complete and through neurological examination and examination of reflexes and cognitive abilities. Other tests for ruling out other conditions that can lead to misdiagnosis are:

Blood tests
MRI or CT scan of brain
Fluorodeoxyglucose PET brain scans
Heart test
Echocardiogram

Treatment

Treatment options include:

Medications can be prescribed like cholinesterase inhibitors, carbidopa-levodopa (Sinemet, Rytary, Duopa), first-generation antipsychotic medications.
Some modifying of behaviour therapies

Home Remedies

Speech therapy. Speak slowly and give gestures to point any object.
Be active and exercise regularly
Play mind stimulating games like puzzles and cross words
Encourage night time rituals
Music therapy, pet therapy and aromatherapy can also help to ease the symptoms.

Lewy Body Dementia