Lewy Body Dementia is the most common disease you have never heard.
According to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, Lewy Body Dementia accounts for up to 20% of dementia cases in the United States, but few have knowledge of its symptoms and even the existence (including many health professionals).
Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a type of dementia that causes a decline in thought, reasoning, and function. It shares the features with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, so it is difficult to spot (and is considered undiagnosed).
The symptoms of LBD are as follows:
• Disorders of thought and reasoning
• Changes in degree of confusion, caution, agility
• Movement disorders such as delay, hard muscle, tremor, hanging posture, balance hindrance, or shuffle walk
• Visual hallucinations, delusions, difficulty in understanding visual information
• Sometimes play an intense dream (also called sleep disorder)
• Changes in body functions such as dizziness, falling, potentially leading to urinary incontinence, such as blood pressure management
• Symptoms of behavior and mood, including depression, apathy, anxiety, excitement, or paranoia
• Memory loss
Lewy Body Dementia causes the same brain biological change as Parkinson's disease. Typically, the order in which symptoms begin and the time it takes to develop are related to developing an accurate diagnosis between them.
If symptoms of dementia occur one or more years after the onset of motor (motor) symptoms, it is highly likely to have Parkinson's disease. On the other hand, LBD is a more likely diagnostic if dementia exists one year before, at the same time, or within a year of the sunrise of motor symptoms.
Similarly, some clues can help determine LBD from Alzheimer's disease. Memory loss is typically important in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Declining attention and alertness of LBD patients may appear as a memory problem, but its memory does not change considerably. People with LBD experience hallucinations and exercise changes that do not occur until the advanced stage of Alzheimer's disease.
You can easily see why the diagnosis of LBD (and all forms of dementia) is difficult. Since there is no definitive test to determine diagnosis, health care workers must rely on individual symptoms.
There is no treatment to stop or delay the damage of brain cells caused by Lewy bodies, but there are methods useful for managing symptoms. Please consult your beloved doctor about appropriate diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
Providing care to people with dementia can be rewarded, but it is very difficult. Caregivers of individuals with LBD are increasingly challenged, as the disease often affects people's mood, way of thinking, and movement.
The Lewy Body Dementia Association has a wealth of resources and support information for families who take care of families loved by Lewy Body Dementia.
Combinations of cognitive behavior, exercise behavior and behavioral symptoms may be overwhelming for caregivers to handle alone. Individuals with Lewy Body Dementia and their family caregivers need resources and assistance from medical professionals and agents.
Caregivers can benefit from working with home care companies. It is important that caregivers maintain their own health and social life, care most about the people they love, and avoid the fatigue of carers.
Caring for yourself helps to provide the best quality of life for loved ones.
