Neuropsychiatric feature profiles of patients with Lewy body dementia.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Differential diagnosis between Parkinson's disease (PD) dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is difficult due to common features, whereas management decisions and research endpoints depend upon knowledge of dementia severity. We aimed to assess risk factors for age at dementia onset, as well as which neuropsychiatric features are associated with pharmacotherapy and signs and symptoms of Lewy body dementia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

Patients with PD dementia or DLB were evaluated for age at disease onset, education, sanitation, anthropometric measures, alcohol use, smoking, history of infections or head trauma with unconsciousness, family history of neurodegenerative diseases, functional independence, cognition, behavior, motor features, caregiver burden and pharmacotherapy.

RESULTS:

Fifty-one patients were recruited (37 with DLB, 14 with PD dementia). Cumulative alcohol use and married status were associated with earlier dementia onset, whereas history of treated systemic infections and cumulative family history of primary neurodegenerative diseases led to later dementia onset. The length of dementia was shorter only for severely impaired patients who used anti-depressants, but not for users of cholinesterase inhibitors, while no behavioral symptom was associated with dopaminergic therapy. Night-time behavior disturbances were inversely associated with sleep satisfaction, while caregiver burden was more affected by depression and motor features. Non-motor symptoms were more burdensome for patients with DLB, while in PD dementia anxiety and dysphoria occurred when motor features were less burdensome.

CONCLUSIONS:

PD dementia and DLB are two phenotypes of the same pathological entity, differing mostly by the occurrence of parkinsonian signs. Predictors of dementia onset differ from other neurodegenerative diseases.

• Authors: Fabricio Ferreira de Oliveira, Fernando Chiodini Machado, Gustavo Sampaio, Sheilla de Medeiros Correia Marin, Maria da Graça Naffah-Mazzacoratti, Paulo Henrique Ferreira Bertolucci
• Journal: Clinical neurology and neurosurgery (Clin Neurol Neurosurg) Vol. 194 Pg. 105832 (07 2020) ISSN: 1872-6968 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 32311617 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antidepressive Agents

Topics

• Age of Onset
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Alcohol Drinking
• Antidepressive Agents (therapeutic use)
• Caregivers
• Cost of Illness
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Diagnosis, Differential
• Educational Status
• Female
• Humans
• Lewy Body Disease (diagnosis, drug therapy, psychology)
• Male
• Mental Disorders (drug therapy, etiology, psychology)
• Middle Aged
• Neurodegenerative Diseases (epidemiology, genetics)
• Parkinson Disease (diagnosis, psychology)
• Risk Factors
• Socioeconomic Factors