You have probably heard of dementia, which is a syndrome characterized by a loss of memory, language, behavior, thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to perform regular day-to-day activities. It is an affliction that mostly affects older people.
What you might not be so familiar with is Lewy body dementia (LBD), also known as dementia with Lewy bodies. This progressive disease occurs when abnormal deposits of the protein alpha-synuclein develop in the nerve cells in the brain regions associated with thinking, memory, and motor control. These deposits are called Lewy bodies, named after Friedrich Heinrich Lewy, the neurologist who discovered them. The same protein is also linked to Parkinson’s disease. In addition, the brains of many patients suffering from Lewy body dementia have amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, two kinds of lesions associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
An estimated 1.4 million people in the United States are inflicted with Lewy body dementia. However, this may be an underestimation. The symptoms of this disease are very similar to those of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, so it’s very likely that a greater number of people remain undiagnosed.
It is not yet clear what causes Lewy body dementia. Because of this, preventive measures remain unknown. However, you can acquaint yourself with some facts about this disease. Here are some things you should know about Lewy body dementia.
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