Dementia (Lewy bodies) Flashcards
DEFINITION OF ALL TYPES OF DEMENTIA
Alzheimer’s disease (50%) - degeneration of the cerebral cortex, with cortical atrophy and reduction in acetylcholine production
Vascular Dementia (25%) - brain damage due to several incidents of cerebrovascular disease (e.g. strokes/TIAs)
Lewy Body Dementia (15%) - deposition of abnormal proteins (Lewy bodies) within the brain stem and neocortex
Frontotemporal Dementia - specific degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes
what is Lewy body dementia
progressive cognitive decline of sufficient magnitude to interfere with normal social or occupational functions, or with usual daily activities
main classifying characteristics of Lewy body dementia
fluctuating cognition; recurrent visual hallucinations; REM sleep behaviour disorder; and one or more spontaneous cardinal symptoms of parkinsonism: bradykinesia, rest tremor, or rigidity.
with Lewy body dementia, is memory loss present at early stages
no; usually becomes a problem with progressing dementia
epidemiology of DLB
prevalence of DLB is probably no more than 10% of all cases of dementia
risk factors for DLB
older age, family Hx and male sex
presenting signs and symptoms of DLB
cognitive fluctuations, visual hallucinations, REM sleep disturbances, depression, falls and Parkinsonian symptoms
what are some parkinsonian symptoms
bradykinesia, tremor, stiffness and slow movement
investigations for Lewy body dementia
FBC, Thyroid and liver function tests, B12, folate, serum electrolytes, urinalysis.
TRY TO NOT MISS OTHER REASONS FOR SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
consider a brain CT, MRI and a EEG
treatment of Lewy body dementia (in the acute setting)
short acting benzodiazepines (e.g. lorazepam)
treatment of chronic Lewy body dementia
cholinesterase inhibitors (e.g. donepezil)
prognosis of Lewy body dementia
progressive disease; treatment doesn’t stop progression of symptoms nor the disease
