[Skip to content]

EPDA - European Parkinsons Disease Association EPDA - European Parkinsons Disease Association EPDA - European Parkinsons Disease Association EPDA - European Parkinsons Disease Association EPDA - European Parkinsons Disease Association EPDA - European Parkinsons Disease Association EPDA - European Parkinsons Disease Association
EPDA - European Parkinsons Disease Association
REWRITE TOMORROW
.

Dementia with Lewy Bodies

What is dementia with Lewy Bodies?

Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is a type of dementia whereby a decline in cognitive processes or thinking is experienced together with visual hallucinations.  It is thought to be the second most common cause of neurodegenerative dementia.

DLB shares features with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson’s. Because of its similarities with the symptoms of dementia (such as memory loss and variations in alertness and attention) it is often confused with Alzheimer’s. But about 75% of people with DLB also develop Parkinsonism symptoms, in particular being susceptible to falls.It has been suggested that DLB may account for 20% of dementias in people over the age of 65.  It is relatively uncommon in people younger than 65 and can co-exist with other causes of dementia.  Its incidence seems to rise considerably in those over the age of 75.


Did you know?

Until recently DLB was not recognised as an illness in its own right. Only in the last decade has DLB been accepted as a separate condition, as the result of research by pathologists and psychiatrists collaborating largely in the UK, Japan and the USA.

 

Acknowledgement


We would like to thank the following for their contributions to this information:

  • David Burn, Professor of Movement Disorders, Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, UK

We would like to acknowledge the following source(s) in compiling this information:

EPDA EPDA EPDA EPDA EPDA EPDA EPDA EPDA