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About Lewy Body Dementia
Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) is a complex brain disorder causing progressive cognitive decline, movement issues, and fluctuating alertness. Managing its diverse symptoms often requires various medications, which can create a significant financial burden for families. TheDrugClub helps ease this stress by offering substantial savings on essential prescriptions, making vital treatment more accessible and affordable.
Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) is the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's disease, affecting millions worldwide. It's characterized by abnormal protein deposits called Lewy bodies that develop in nerve cells in the brain regions involved in thinking, memory, and motor control. These deposits disrupt normal brain function, leading to a range of challenging symptoms.
The hallmark symptoms of LBD often include fluctuating cognition (periods of lucidity alternating with confusion), spontaneous parkinsonism (such as tremors, rigidity, and slow movement), and recurrent visual hallucinations. Many individuals also experience REM sleep behavior disorder, where they physically act out their dreams. Other symptoms can include problems with attention, reasoning, spatial awareness, and mood changes like depression or anxiety. Diagnosing LBD can be tricky because its symptoms can overlap with other conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
While there is currently no cure for LBD, various treatments are available to manage its symptoms. Medications commonly used include cholinesterase inhibitors (like donepezil, rivastigmine) to help with cognitive and behavioral issues, and memantine for moderate to severe cognitive symptoms. For the parkinsonian symptoms, levodopa may be prescribed. Antidepressants can
The information above is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider before making medication decisions.
MedlinePlus overview of Lewy Body Dementia
What is Lewy body dementia (LBD)?
Lewy body dementia (LBD) is one of the most common types of dementia in older adults. Dementia is a loss of mental functions that is severe enough to affect your daily life and activities. These functions include:
Memory
Language skills
Visual perception (your ability to make sense of what you see)
Problem solving
Trouble with everyday tasks
The ability to focus and pay attention
What are the types of Lewy body dementia (LBD)?
There are two types of LBD: dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's disease dementia.
Both types cause the same changes in the brain. And, over time, they can cause similar symptoms. The main difference is in when the cognitive (thinking) and movement symptoms start.
Dementia with Lewy bodies causes problems with thinking ability that seem similar to Alzheimer's disease. Later, it also causes other symptoms, such as movement symptoms, visual hallucinations, and certain sleep disorders. It also causes more trouble with mental activities than with memory.
Parkinson's disease dementia starts as a movement disorder. It first causes the symptoms of Parkinson's disease: slowed movement, muscle stiffness, tremor, and a shuffling walk. Later on, it causes dementia.
What causes Lewy body dementia (LBD)?
LBD happens when Lewy bodies build up in parts of the brain that control memory, thinking, and movement. Lewy bodies are abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein. Researchers don't know exactly why these deposits form. But they do know that other diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, also involve a build-up of that protein.
Who is at risk for Lewy body dementia (LBD)?
The biggest risk factor for LBD is age; most people who get it are over age 50. People who have a family history of LBD are also at higher risk.
What are the symptoms of Lewy body dementia (LBD)?
LBD is a progressive disease. This means that the symptoms start slowly and get worse over time. The most common symptoms include changes in cognition, movement, sleep, and behavior:
Dementia, which is a loss of mental functions that is severe enough to affect your daily life and activities
Changes in concentration, attention, alertness, and wakefulness. These changes usually happen from day to day. But sometimes they can also happen throughout the same day.
Visual hallucinations, which means seeing things that are not there
Problems with movement and posture, including slowness of movement, difficulty walking, and muscle stiffness. These are called parkinsonian motor symptoms.
REM sleep behavior disorder, a condition in which a person seems to act out dreams. It may include vivid dreaming, talking in one's sleep, violent movements, or falling out of bed. This may be the earliest symptom of LBD in some people. It can appear several years before any other LBD symptoms.
Changes in behavior and mood, such as depression, anxiety, and apathy (a lack of interest in normal daily activities or events)
In the early stages of LBD, symptoms can be mild, and people can function fairly normally. As the disease gets worse, people with LBD need more help due to problems with thinking and movement. In the later stages of the disease, they often cannot care for themselves.
How is Lewy body dementia (LBD) diagnosed?
There isn't one test that can diagnose LBD. It is important to see an experienced doctor to get a diagnosis. This would usually be a specialist such as a neurologist. The doctor will:
Do a medical history, including taking a detailed account of the symptoms. The doctor will talk to both the patient and caregivers.
Do physical and neurological exams
Do tests to rule out other conditions that could cause similar symptoms. These could include blood tests and brain imaging tests.
Do neuropsychological tests to evaluate memory and other cognitive functions
LBD can be hard to diagnose, because Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease cause similar symptoms. Scientists think that Lewy body disease might be related to these diseases, or that they sometimes happen together.
It's also important to know which type of LBD a person has, so the doctor can treat that type's particular symptoms. It also helps the doctor understand how the disease will affect the person over time. The doctor makes a diagnosis based on when certain symptoms start:
If cognitive symptoms start within a year of movement problems, the diagnosis is dementia with Lewy bodies
If cognitive problems start more than a year after the movement problems, the diagnosis is Parkinson's disease dementia
What are the treatments for Lewy body dementia (LBD)?
There is no cure for LBD, but treatments can help with the symptoms:
Medicines may help with some of the cognitive, movement, and psychiatric symptoms
Physical therapy can help with movement problems
Occupational therapy may help find ways to more easily do everyday activities
Speech therapy may help with swallowing difficulties and trouble speaking loudly and clearly
Mental health counseling can help people with LBD and their families learn how to manage difficult emotions and behaviors. It can also help them plan for the future.
Music or art therapy may reduce anxiety and improve well-being
Support groups can also be helpful for people with LBD and their caregivers. Support groups can give emotional and social support. They are also a place where people can share tips about how to deal with day-to-day challenges.
NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Source: MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus topic page. Topic date: 02/01/2005. MedlinePlus file date: 10/15/2026 02:30:37.
This information is educational and is not medical advice.