Dementia with Lewy bodies

What is dementia with Lewy bodies

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a form of neurodegenerative dementia characterised by the build-up of abnormal proteins (Lewy bodies, which contain alpha-synuclein) in the nerve cells of the brain.

DLB accounts for about 5–10% of all forms of dementia and occurs most often after the age of 60. Four core features set it apart from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias:

• Marked fluctuations in cognitive state: attention, alertness and lucidity vary significantly from one day to the next, or even within the same day
• Detailed, recurrent visual hallucinations: they appear early in the course of the illness and are very vivid
• Symptoms similar to those of Parkinson’s disease: slowed movements, muscle rigidity, tremor
• REM sleep behaviour disorder: the person talks, flails or hits out during sleep, as if acting out their dreams

DLB needs to be recognised correctly, because the approach differs significantly from that for other forms of dementia.

When to see a specialist

An assessment is worthwhile if you notice any of these in yourself or someone close to you:

• fluctuating episodes of confusion or “absence”
• visual hallucinations, especially detailed and recurrent ones
• motor symptoms: slowness, rigidity, tremor, falls
• marked sleep problems: violent movements during sleep, as if the person were acting out their dreams
• unexplained episodes of fainting (syncope)
• cognitive changes (memory, attention) together with any of the signs above

A correct diagnosis and the doctor’s support can make the days easier, for the patient and for the family.

The first step

If you recognise these signs, book a conversation with one of our specialists. Together, we’ll look at what’s going on and what your options are.

For the assessment, we recommend that the patient comes with someone close to them, with the patient's agreement. If that is you, what you have noticed from one day to the next matters for a correct diagnosis.

Besides the psychiatric consultation, the assessment can include tests of memory and thinking, carried out by the team’s clinical psychologists. If getting to the clinic is difficult, the psychiatrist can also do the consultation as a paid home visit in Bucharest and Ilfov.

Services: Psychiatry · Psychological assessment
See our team and pricing.

This information is for educational purposes and does not replace a specialist consultation.