As we age, there is an increase in many disorders, and the physiological changes that make those diseases worse. Like wise, there is an increase in frequency and severity of neurological conditions affecting the brain with age. One such condition is Lewy Body Disease. This is of particular interest to me because of 2 reasons. The first is obvious. My name is attached to the disorder. While I have a rare name it is shared with a famous researcher of the early 1900s. The second is that my wife is convinced that I either have dementia or just do not listen to her.

While most doctors are not familiar with a condition called Lewy Body Disease, it is the second most common cause of dementia resulting in as much as 20% of all cases. This is according to the Lewy Body Disease Association. There is no cure for this condition and does worsen with time.

Lewy Body Disease is comprised of a spectrum of symptoms involving dementia and motor abnormalities. Diagnosis is difficult because the dementia is similar to Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s but differs in that LBD does demonstrate strong psychotic hallucinations, extreme sensitivity to antipsychotic medications and the disease varies from day to day. Furthermore, LBD is twice as likely to occur in men as women unlike Alzheimer’s which is equal in both sexes. There is also no genetic link.

Lewy Body’s are abnormal microscopic protein deposits located in the mid brain and found in nerve cells that disrupt the brain’s normal function. This results in the deterioration of the brain over time. It was first discovered by Frederick Lewy in 1912 a colleague of Alois Alzheimer. It has long been known that the presence of Lewy bodies is a hallmark of Parkinson’s; they were discovered in the cortex in the 1960s and affiliated with dementia. People with LBD have the protein bodies in both the mid brain and the cortex which severely impairs the functioning of the brain.

Signs of LBD include mental decline, recurrent visual hallucinations, poor response to antipsychotic medications, difficulty with daily living activities, sleep disturbances and fluctuations in autonomic processes like blood pressure, temperatures swallowing and bowel movements.

Diagnosis is difficult; it requires an autopsy which makes it more difficult in the living patient, but a well trained physician can differentiate this disease from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Sincere there is no treatment for this disease, diagnosis does not really help the patient cope with the eventual symptoms, but at least knowing what is happening may help in future cures. The visual disturbances, and hallucinations are the links to my series of articles. Many patients will come in saying that they see things. Knowing that there is another possible diagnosis is helpful to at least the patient’s family.

As for me, I can at least tell my wife that I have a reason for acting strange and blame it on my name sake of 1912.