Caused by an abnormal protein… Symptoms similar to other diseases
| ▲ Professor Park Ki-hyung (Photo = Courtesy of Gachon University Gil Hospital) |
[메디컬투데이=이재혁 기자] Lewy body dementia can show similar symptoms to Parkinson’s disease, so be careful not to confuse it. Both diseases slow down body movement and worsen gait, but in Lewy body dementia, there is almost no hand tremor.
Professor Park Gi-hyung of the Department of Neurology at Gachon University Gil Hospital explained that Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease are diseases caused by a protein called ‘alpha synnuclein’ that damages brain cells.
Lewy body dementia is a disease caused by the accumulation of abnormal protein clumps in the cerebral cortex and brainstem, resulting in brain cell damage. It is known as the second most dementia following Alzheimer’s disease dementia.
Lewy body dementia is similar to, but different from, Parkinson’s disease. This is because Parkinson’s symptoms also appear in patients with Lewy body dementia. However, there are differences from common Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease often begins with tremors on one side of the hand, often resulting in slow movements and a gait that is strident. However, in many cases, the symptoms of Parkinson’s symptoms of Lewy body dementia and hand tremor are not seen.
In addition, regarding 40% of patients with Parkinson’s disease suffer from dementia, but it appears following more than one year has passed since the onset of Parkinson’s disease. However, in dementia with Lewy bodies, dementia symptoms appear first, followed by Parkinsonian symptoms, or appear almost simultaneously.
In addition, dopamine, a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, is not effective for patients with Lewy body dementia.
Professor Park said, “In the early stages of Lewy body dementia, memory may be normal. However, as the disease progresses, memory gradually deteriorates,” he said. “It is important to diagnose and treat dementia early because dementia drugs can have a better effect than Alzheimer’s disease dementia.”
Representative symptoms of Lewy body dementia can be largely divided into hallucinations, REM sleep behavior disorder, cognitive fluctuations, and Parkinsonian symptoms. The so-called ‘vision’ of seeing the illusion is the most representative symptom.
When patients with Lewy body dementia experience hallucinations, they see very vivid hallucinations. Patients may describe the hallucinations as if they were seeing them in front of them, such as ‘a person wearing a black hat is trying to put his hands in his pockets’. If you misunderstand this as a mental illness and use antipsychotic drugs, you should be careful as side effects such as the patient being unable to move and lying down may occur.
Another symptom is REM sleep behavior disorder. REM Sleep Behavior Disorder is a condition in which the content of a dream is translated into action during sleep. For example, while dreaming of fighting, you may hit and injure the person sleeping next to you, or punch a wall and injure yourself.
The third symptom is that cognitive fluctuations intensify. Patients with these symptoms may appear blank during the day or take a lot of naps during the day. Therefore, if you often take a lot of naps and show a lot of absent-mindedness, you can suspect Lewy body dementia.
Finally, the main symptom of Lewy body dementia is Parkinsonian symptoms. Parkinsonian symptoms of dementia with Lewy bodies are as described above.
Professor Park said, “Lewy body dementia progresses very quickly, and especially when it is accompanied by Alzheimer’s disease, it can get worse faster, so an accurate diagnosis and early treatment are needed.”
Reporter Lee Jae-hyeok of Medical Today (dlwogur93@mdtoday.co.kr)
[저작권자ⓒ 메디컬투데이. 무단전재-재배포 금지]
