title: Dementia with Lewy bodies.
abstract: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second commonest cause of neurodegenerative dementia in older people. It is part of the range of clinical presentations that share a neuritic pathology based on abnormal aggregation of the synaptic protein alpha-synuclein. DLB has many of the clinical and pathological characteristics of the dementia that occurs during the course of Parkinson's disease. Here we review the current state of scientific knowledge on DLB. Accurate identification of patients is important because they have specific symptoms, impairments, and functional disabilities that differ from those of other common types of dementia. Severe neuroleptic sensitivity reactions are associated with significantly increased morbidity and mortality. Treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors is well tolerated by most patients and substantially improves cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Clear guidance on the management of DLB is urgently needed. Virtually unrecognised 20 years ago, DLB could within this decade be one of the most treatable neurodegenerative disorders of late life.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Ageing and Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. i.g.mckeith@ncl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: McKeith
authors.forename: Jacobo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mintzer
authors.forename: Dag
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aarsland
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Burn
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Jiska
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cohen-Mansfield
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dickson
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dubois
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Duda
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gauthier
authors.forename: Glenda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Halliday
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lawlor
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lippa
authors.forename: Oscar L
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carlos Machado
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Playfer
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Reid
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D020961:Lewy Body Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011859:Radiography; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D016896:Treatment Outcome