Lewy Body Dementia (DCL) is a syndrome that gradually degenerates the brain and is caused by the formation of protein deposits in cells in areas of the brain dedicated to thinking, memory and motor skills.
Alzheimer’s disease is the second most common type of dementia. Lewis’ body dementia shares many symptoms with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, so it can be mistaken for them.
- It has the same behavioral and cognitive symptoms characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
- It also shares muscle stiffness.
- Slow movements and tremors inherent in Parkinson’s disease; however.
- People with DCL often have very vivid visual hallucinations.
Symptoms, forms of diagnosis and causes of this type of dementia will be explained below.
Lewy body dementia gradually affects the brain and the average lifespan after diagnosis of the disease is approximately 8 years.
At first, typical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease appear, but as the disease progresses, other symptoms appear. Several studies have reached a consensus that the typical symptoms of LDC are:
As mentioned, Lewy’s body dementia is progressive, so symptoms tend to worsen in the later years of the patient’s life.
This type of dementia can cause great suffering because the patient may experience depressive states, aggressive behaviors and motor changes.
Lewy body dementia is difficult to diagnose, mainly because it resembles other types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease; In addition, there is no specific test to diagnose this type of dementia, so several tests are used to rule out others. Diseases.
The rate at which the symptoms presented above develop is one of the most reliable indicators. If mental symptoms appear within a year, the source is likely to be DCL.
After differential diagnosis, blood tests can show whether the source of symptoms is vitamin B12 deficiency, and similarly, they can exclude thyroid problems or diseases such as syphilis or HIV.
Scanning your brain with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or tomography may exclude other conditions, such as stroke, excess cerebrospinal fluid, or the presence of a tumor.
These images can be used to diagnose Lewy body dementia because the brains of lewy patients show significant changes. Changes include: degeneration or atrophy of the cerebral cortex and death of neurons in the middle brain, especially in the “black substance”.
Similarly, in the brains of patients with DCL, it is possible to observe lesions that affect neuron functions, lesions bearing the name lewy bodies, the affected neurons are mainly found in the hippocampus.
As we have already said, Lewy body dementia occurs due to abnormal protein buildup in the brain, which prevents cellular communication and hinders neuronal regeneration. Currently, the exact causes of this abnormal accumulation of proteins are unknown. .
However, certain factors are known to increase the risk of developing DCL. People over the age of 60 and men are more likely to develop the disease.
Also, if there is a person with Lewy or Parkinson’s body dementia in the family, the chance of developing either disease is higher.