“Medical News Today” (medicalnewstoday.com) recently updated its comparison of Lewy body dementia (LBD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It’s rather basic but might be helpful to newcomers to the LBD community. See:
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/lewy-body-dementia-vs-alzheimers
Especially note this table comparing symptoms:
| Lewy body dementia | Alzheimer’s disease | |
|---|---|---|
| Symptoms | Symptoms include: • changes in thinking and reasoning • confusion and alertness that varies from one day to the next • visual hallucinations • delusions • sleep disturbances • memory loss that is less prominent than in Alzheimer’s but still significant • slowness and changes in movement • difficulty interpreting visual information |
Symptoms may worsen over time. Mild symptoms include: • memory loss • repeating questions • wandering and getting lost • losing and misplacing items • changes in personality and mood • anxiety • aggression • judgment difficulties • taking more time to complete everyday tasks |
| Age of onset | Occurs between 50–85 years. | Occurs during the mid-60s, although it can be earlier. |
| Causes | Researchers have not identified a cause. | Causes include a combination of lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors. |
| Risk factors | Risk factors include: • older age • Parkinson’s disease • REM sleep disorder |
Risk factors include: • older age • genetics • cardiovascular conditions • head injury |
| Treatment | Medication, lifestyle changes, cognitive and behavioral therapy can treat symptoms and slow disease progression. | Medication, lifestyle changes, cognitive and behavioral therapy can treat symptoms and slow disease progression. |
| Life expectancy | Most people live for an average of 5–8 years but could be up to 20 years. | Most people live for an average of 4–8 years but could be up to 20 years. |
| Outlook | There is no cure, but treatment can help manage symptoms. The symptoms may vary from day to day. | There is no cure, while symptoms worsen over time. Medications can help manage symptoms and slow disease progression. |
The “Treatment” and “Diagnosis” sections are a little weak IMHO.
Robin
We recently welcomed Diane Deaver to our local Northern California support group, which has virtual meetings for those with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Her husband Doug has joined our meetings for local PSP caregivers.
Angela Robb is a 25-year wife and care partner for her husband Karl, diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease (YOPD) for over 30 years. Here’s a short article Angela wrote on self-care for PD caregivers, recently published on the World Parkinson Congress blog.
Check out this handy infographic on Lewy body dementia (LBD) from the National Library of Medicine (part of NIH).