Eglė Kymantaitė¹
¹Vilnius University, Faculty of Medicine
Vilnius, Lithuania
Abstract
Dementia with Lewy body (DLB) is one of the alpha-synucleopathies. The disease is characterized by fluctuating cognitive impairment along with visual hallucinations and symptoms of parkinsonism. Based on clinical symptoms, a probable diagnosis of an DLB is made. There are no specific diagnostic methods. Although much research is being done to find a disease-modifying treatment, therapies that affect the progression of the disease are not yet available.
Aim: To select and analyze literature sources related to innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of dementia with Lewy bodies.
Methods: The literature review was based on the PubMed, ClinicalKey, and UpToDate databases. The publications were selected using the following keywords in the original language: “Dementia with Lewy bodies” “Diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies”, “Treatment of dementia with Lewy bodies”. Exclusion criteria were: language, duplicate articles. Despite efforts to focus on publications from the last 5 years, the citation period was not limited. 59 articles were reviewed, from which 41 articles were selected for further analysis.
Results: Dementia with Lewy cells is a progressive disease that affects the central nervous system and is associated with the accumulation of the pathological protein alpha – synuclein. Although there is no treatment that modifies the course of the disease, it is important to diagnose the disease early to improve patients’ quality of life and reduce symptoms.
Conclusion: This literature review provides key insights into innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of dementia with Lewy bodies.
Keywords: Dementia with Lewy body, Lewy body, alpha-synuclein.