Lewy body Dementia:
Jackie Bezos, mother of Jeff Bezos and an early Amazon investor, passed away in Miami recently due to Lewy body dementia.
- Lewy body Dementia (LBD) is a complex and challenging brain disorder.
- It is the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer’s
- LBD is a disease associated with abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain.
- These deposits, called Lewy bodies, affect chemicals in the brain.
- These changes, in turn, can lead to problems with thinking, movement, behavior, mood, and other body functions.
- There are two forms of LBD that cause cognitive symptoms — dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia.
- LBD causes a decline in mental abilities that gradually gets worse over time.
- LBD typically begins at age 50 or older, although sometimes younger people may have it.
- LBD appears to affect slightly more men than women.
- The disease lasts an average of five to seven years from the time of diagnosis to death, but it can range from two to 20 years.
- People with LBD might see things that aren’t there, known as visual hallucinations.
- They also may have changes in alertness and attention.
- People with LBD commonly have symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. These symptoms might include rigid muscles, slow movement, trouble walking and tremors.
- As the disease worsens, people with LBD require more and more help with daily activities due to a decline in thinking and movement abilities.
- There’s no cure for Lewy body dementia and no way to prevent it.
- But medications and therapies can help manage symptoms for a while.
