Robin Williams' diagnosis: What is Lewy Body dementia?

A pathology report obtained by FOX 411 revealed that prior to his death, Robin Williams was suffering from diffuse Lewy Body dementia (LBD) in addition to Parkinsons disease, which he was diagnosed with in Nov. 2013.

It is important to note that patients with diffuse Lewy Body dementia frequently present with Parkinsonian motor symptoms and depression and hallucinations, explains a pathology report obtained by FOX411.

According to the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA), the disease affects an estimated 1.3 individuals in the United States. Onset typically occurs between the ages of 50 and 85. LBD is an umbrella term for two related clinical diagnoses: Dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinsons disease dementia.

Dementia with Lewy bodies is a type of progressive dementia that leads to a decline in thinking, reasoning and independent function, due to abnormal microscopic deposits that cause brain cell damage over time, according to the Alzheimers Association.

Parkinsons disease dementia is an impairment in thinking and reasoning that eventually affects many people with Parkinsons, according to the Alzheimers Association.

The two diseases are characterized by different early symptoms, but they reflect the same underlying biological changes in the brain, and, over time, patients with both diagnoses will develop very similar cognitive, physical, sleep, and behavioral symptoms, according to LBDA.

Patients with LBD show different degrees of symptoms, which may fluctuate as often as moment-to-moment, hour-to-hour or day-to-day, LBDA notes on its website.

Symptoms can include: progressive dementia, recurrent complex visual hallucinations that are typically well-formed and detailed, REM sleep behavior disorder, and fluctuating cognition with pronounced variations in attention and alertness.

LBD is diagnosed clinically through physical and neurological examinations, patient and family interviews, and neuro-psychological and mental status tests. However, a postmortem autopsy is the only way to obtain a conclusive diagnosis of LBD.

READ MORE: Is it really Alzheimer's? Treatable condition mimics symptoms of dementia

According to LBDA, medication treatment is one of the most controversial subjects in dealing with LBD, as medication that works for one person may not work for another. Williams pathology report revealed that he had been taking pramipexole and levodopa, drugs prescribed to manage symptoms of Parkinsons. Both drugs list hallucinations as a side effect.

There is no cure of definitive treatment for LBD, and the disease has an average duration of 5 to 7 years. However, the disease could span from to 20 years, depending on factors such as overall health and severity of symptoms, LBDA noted.

TMZ reported that friends and family of Williams believe Lewy Body dementia was the main factor that led to his sudden suicide in August.

In addition to the Parkinsons and dementia, Williams had a history of depression, paranoia, compulsiveness and anxiety.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/11/12/robin-williams-diagnosis-what-is-lewy-body-dementia/

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Lewy Body Dementia: Understanding Robin Williams's Battle With A ...

Robin Williamss death left three kids, a wife, friends, and millions of fans in the wake of his death wondering why such a brilliant comedian would take his own life. At first, reports said his depression mixed with Parkinsons disease diagnosis was the root of his suicide. They were wrong Williams did not have Parkinsons disease, but instead a much more complicated and unheard of condition that left him battling with hallucinations in the days leading up to his death. It was announced on Tuesday he had Lewy body dementia (LBD), a type of dementia and Parkinsons disease hybrid.

"In the news you are more likely to hear about Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease," Dr. Zianka Fallil, a neurologist at North Shore-LIJ's Cushing Neuroscience Institute, told theNY Daily News. "The general population is not aware of the subtype of Lewy body dementia as they probably should be, and it's mostly because a lot of times when families bring patients to clinics they may not speak of other issues going on paranoia, hallucinations, delusions unless elicited specifically. If you look at the complete clinical picture, it might be Lewy body dementia."

Although its not as commonly heard of as Parkinsons or Alzeihmers disease, it still affects 1.3 million Americans. Dr. Frederick H. Lewy discovered Lewy bodies, abnormal deposits in the brain,while he was working in Dr. Alois Alzheimers laboratory in the early 1900s. Despite being the third most common cause of dementia after Alzheimers and vascular dementia, researchers still arent sure how it functions in the brain, according to the Alzheimers Association. When Williamss condition was revealed and confirmed by TMZ, which had sources connected to the comedians family, it came as a shock. LBD can cause a progressive decline in mental abilities as well as visual hallucinations, which generally take the form of objects, people, or animals that arent there, according to Mayo Clinic.

After Williamss body was discovered in his California home Aug. 11, his wife Susan Schneider confirmed he was in the early stages of Parkinsons disease and also suffered from anxiety and depression. LBDs disease progression has a very similar sequence and symptomatic process as Parkinsons disease. Both diseases are caused by a small misfolded protein in the brain called the alpha-synuclein and causes problems with thinking and reasoning. Lewy bodies affect six different areas of the brain, including the limbic cortex, which plays a major role in emotions and behavior, as well as the cerebral cortex, which controls information processing and perception, according to the National Institute on Aging.

There are two different types of LBD. Dementia with Lewy bodies has cognitive symptoms that appear within a year of movement problems, and then theres Parkinsons disease dementia. Not only is Parkinsons disease a devastating disorder that affects the nervous system and gradually worsens movement, speech, and causes tremors, but it also causes cognitive issues in LBD cases.

Lewy body dementia is "very complex, and it requires treating a much broader range of symptoms to maximize quality of life," Angela Taylor, director of programs at the Lewy Body Dementia Association, told CBS News. "The report indicates that [Williams] was being treated for Parkinson's and that is one of the features of dementia with Lewy bodies. Hallucinations are a core feature of Lewy body dementia."

As his loved ones and fans struggle to rationalize how one of the greats took his own life, they may find solace in understanding his disease better. Shining a spotlight on LBD may be the only way to help prevent those struggling with the same fate before its too late.

Source: http://www.medicaldaily.com/lewy-body-dementia-understanding-robin-williamss-battle-complicated-disease-310420

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