Lewy body dementias

Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with unusual deposits of alpha-synuclein in the brain and affects people who mostly seniors.

Lewy body dementias

Dementia with Lewy bodies is a type of dementia that impacts more than 40 million people worldwide. It’s also known as “Lewy Body” dementia. Dementia is a progressive neurological disease that affects the memory and thinking skills. It can lead to confusion, mood swings or behaviour changes in an individual, as a result of damage inside their brain

When someone experiences dementia, they may not know who or where their family is. The symptoms of this disease are memory loss and confusion, which can cause problems with daily life for those affected

Alzheimer’s disease is one type of dementia caused by gradual damage to the nerve cells located near important mental abilities such as memory or language comprehension; however, there are other types like Parkinson’s Disease which makes you lose control over your muscles due to its lossy effect.

However, dementia is the name amongst others of the disease that slowly damages the brain. It mostly affects people over 65 years old, and can be prevented by quitting smoking or drinking alcohol heavily. The development of the disease is slow and over a few years will develop into something major and become worse.

What are some symptoms of Lewy body dementia? 

Some people might not experience any symptoms, or only notice them when their loved one is struggling to find words. Many will start forgetting names of people, places and things which can be alarming at first glance but don’t worry – it’s just a sign that something isn’t right with the way their brain cells are working! Below are some symptoms to consider

• People who suffer from vasovagal attack, and sometimes unsteady
• Lack of a good sleep and sometimes talk and shout whilst sleeping
• Shaking of the limbs without being able to control the behaviour
• People who hear voices, see people and or smelling things from the outside world (Hallucinating)
• Memory lose, poor decision-making, though not very common with lewy body dementia
• Confusion and lack of sense of direction

What should you if you suspect a family member or your self to have dementia?

When you or someone is worried about a health issue, it’s important that you/they seek medical advice. This can be especially true for people over 65 years old, as the risk of dementia illness and damage to the sensory and cognitive abilities increases with age, so a consultation with a GP should be sought as soon as possible!

You may not realize that your GP can do so much to help you. They are the first line of defence, and they will try several simple tests in order to find out what’s causing these symptoms, or refer you to a memory specialist if nothing shows up on their simple findings and or primary investigation!

With the recent advances in technology, there are now some treatments for dementia that can slow down or stop Lewy body disorder from getting worse. It should be noted that, currently, there is no absolute cure for the disease, apart from attempts to slow down its progress.

When caring for someone with dementia, it is important to be aware of the challenging and stressful aspects of the illness. But when you have support from friends or family members or CQC registered care providers, then things can become manageable and easy to handle.