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Dementia with Lewy bodies

Last reviewed: 5 Oct 2024
Last updated: 20 Jun 2023

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • fluctuations
  • visual hallucinations
  • motor symptoms
  • rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavioral disturbance
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • severe antipsychotic sensitivity
  • depression
  • anxiety
  • repeated falls and syncope
  • orthostatic hypotension
  • urinary symptoms
  • constipation
  • attentional and visual processing abnormalities
  • delusions
  • hypersomnia
  • hyposmia
  • auditory hallucinations
Full details

Risk factors

  • older age
  • familial occurrence
Full details

Diagnostic tests

1st tests to order

  • serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
  • serum vitamin B12
  • CT head
  • MRI head
Full details

Tests to consider

  • CBC
  • metabolic panel
  • serum folate
  • serum Venereal Disease Research Laboratory
  • urine drug screen
  • urinalysis
  • HIV testing
  • single-photon emission CT (SPECT)/positron emission tomography (PET)
  • quantitative EEG
  • polysomnography
  • cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis
  • neuropsychological testing
  • MIBG myocardial scintigraphy
Full details

Treatment algorithm

ONGOING

all patients

Contributors

Authors

Alan J. Lerner, MD

Professor of Neurology

Department of Neurology

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland

OH

Disclosures

AJL declares that he has no competing interests.

Mohamed I. Elkasaby, MD

Fellow in Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry

Department of Neurology

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland

OH

Disclosures

MIE declares that he has no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

Dr Alan J. Lerner and Dr Mohamed I. Elkasaby would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Brian S. Appleby, Dr Ethan Gore, Dr Rajeet Shrestha, Dr Timothy Wuerz, Dr Julie Schneider, Dr Viola Fahmy, and Dr Sube Banerjee, previous contributors to this topic.

Disclosures

BSA, EG, RS, TW, JS, VF, and SB declare that they have no competing interests.

Peer reviewers

Bryan Bernard, PhD

Assistant Professor and Clinical Neuropsychologist

Department of Neurological Sciences

Rush University Medical Center

Chicago

IL

Disclosures

BB declares that he has no competing interests.

James E. Galvin, MD, MPH

Associate Professor

Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurobiology

Director

Memory Diagnostic Center and Alzheimer Treatment Unit

Director

Education and Community Outreach

Alzheimer Disease Research Center

Washington University School of Medicine

St Louis

MO

Disclosures

JEG declares that he has no competing interests.

Ian McKeith, MBBS

Professor of Old Age Psychiatry

Clinical Director

Institute for Ageing and Health

Newcastle University

Newcastle

UK

Disclosures

IM is the author of several references cited in this topic.

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