Dementia is an umbrella term for diseases that deteriorate cognitive functions making it difficult for patients to perform simple daily tasks. Lewy bodies are small deposits of protein in brain cells, called alpha-synuclein. In the early 1900’s, neurologist Dr. Freiderich H. Lewy accidentally discovered Lewy body dementia while conducting research on Parkinson’s disease.
Lewy body dementia is a condition where the patient’s mental and physical abilities rapidly decline. Its effects are a kind of combination of the effects of Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s. One of the first symptoms of Lewy body dementia is visual hallucinations. Patient may see animals, shapes or even people that aren’t there. Hallucinations can also extend to sound, smell or touch. The patients’ autonomous nervous system begins to glitch. Our pulse, blood pressure and sweat glands are regulated by a part of the nervous system which is severely affected by Lewy body dementia causing frequent falls, dizziness and bowel issues. Patients also face difficulties sleeping or paying attention. They may also suffer from depression and apathy. Patients experience cognitive symptoms of Alzhiemer’s such as confusion, visual-spatial issues and memory loss. They also go through Parkinsonian signs such as slowed movement, rigid muscles and difficulties walking.
The demographic at risk are statistically men, over the age of 60 and the condition is hereditary. If complications persist, patients can suffer severe dementia and depression as well as aggressive behaviour and worsened Parkinson’s symptoms. On average, the patient may pass away approximately eight years after symptoms start.
Looking at how complicated the symptoms of this disease are, one can easily understand how it can be misdiagnosed. Surveys show that 80% of lewy body dementia patients are misdiagnosed! Out of this percentage, 50% were misdiagnosed with Alzhiemer’s. 15% of patients had to consult over five doctors before getting the right diagnosis. Only 27% were diagnosed correctly within three months after their symptoms began to show. 23% received the right diagnosed within a year. 50% patients got the correct diagnosis after over a year and 20% had to wait for a whole three years before being accurately diagnosed.
This is a fatal situation to be in for a disease that directly and quite severely affects its victim’s brain. Late diagnosis is extremely harmful. Recent studies have shown that Alzhiemer’s and Lewy body disease can be differentiated through the patients walking patterns. Research shows that although both diseases affect the brain, they affect different parts of the brain. Alzheimer's attacks the hippocampus which is responsible for brain formation while Lewy body disease attacks the part of the brain that controls movement and certain fragments of memory. When a study was conducted, it showed that patients with Alzheimer’s rarely showed variation in their walking pattern while Lewy body dementia patients all had unique walking patterns with variation in the time it took to take a step or the amount of steps they could take at a time. The researchers, through this study, could differentiate between the disease with an accuracy of 60%. This is the very first study that has come through with these findings that could prevent misdiagnosis before it’s too late.
Science continues to advance in their findings to combat and cure life-threatening diseases so humans can live a long and healthy life. SMBT continues to educate their audience about the latest research in the medical field. Stay tuned for more interesting and informative blogs on www.smbt.edu.in
Lewy body dementia is a condition where the patient’s mental and physical abilities rapidly decline. Its effects are a kind of combination of the effects of Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s. One of the first symptoms of Lewy body dementia is visual hallucinations. Patient may see animals, shapes or even people that aren’t there. Hallucinations can also extend to sound, smell or touch. The patients’ autonomous nervous system begins to glitch. Our pulse, blood pressure and sweat glands are regulated by a part of the nervous system which is severely affected by Lewy body dementia causing frequent falls, dizziness and bowel issues. Patients also face difficulties sleeping or paying attention. They may also suffer from depression and apathy. Patients experience cognitive symptoms of Alzhiemer’s such as confusion, visual-spatial issues and memory loss. They also go through Parkinsonian signs such as slowed movement, rigid muscles and difficulties walking.
The demographic at risk are statistically men, over the age of 60 and the condition is hereditary. If complications persist, patients can suffer severe dementia and depression as well as aggressive behaviour and worsened Parkinson’s symptoms. On average, the patient may pass away approximately eight years after symptoms start.
Looking at how complicated the symptoms of this disease are, one can easily understand how it can be misdiagnosed. Surveys show that 80% of lewy body dementia patients are misdiagnosed! Out of this percentage, 50% were misdiagnosed with Alzhiemer’s. 15% of patients had to consult over five doctors before getting the right diagnosis. Only 27% were diagnosed correctly within three months after their symptoms began to show. 23% received the right diagnosed within a year. 50% patients got the correct diagnosis after over a year and 20% had to wait for a whole three years before being accurately diagnosed.
This is a fatal situation to be in for a disease that directly and quite severely affects its victim’s brain. Late diagnosis is extremely harmful. Recent studies have shown that Alzhiemer’s and Lewy body disease can be differentiated through the patients walking patterns. Research shows that although both diseases affect the brain, they affect different parts of the brain. Alzheimer's attacks the hippocampus which is responsible for brain formation while Lewy body disease attacks the part of the brain that controls movement and certain fragments of memory. When a study was conducted, it showed that patients with Alzheimer’s rarely showed variation in their walking pattern while Lewy body dementia patients all had unique walking patterns with variation in the time it took to take a step or the amount of steps they could take at a time. The researchers, through this study, could differentiate between the disease with an accuracy of 60%. This is the very first study that has come through with these findings that could prevent misdiagnosis before it’s too late.
Science continues to advance in their findings to combat and cure life-threatening diseases so humans can live a long and healthy life. SMBT continues to educate their audience about the latest research in the medical field. Stay tuned for more interesting and informative blogs on www.smbt.edu.in
0 comments:
Post a Comment