The Great War

Many of us had people caught up in the First World War

This was well known as the War to end all wars

My Grandfather was in the Durham Light Infantry, and  had left home to fight for his country

A few years ago my wife and I went on a coach tour, and we were able to visit Ypres and Passchendale where my Grandfather fought alongside his friends etc.

This in many ways explained some of what had happened, but it was so very hard to understand the horrors of this war.

I read my Grandfathers diaries before they were lost in a flood, and they brought tears to my eyes.

He had left school and got an offer of work in the local coal mine where his family lived, but decided to sign up to join the army, to fight for his country, because like others, he felt it to be his duty

A lot of his friends also signed up, because they had been told that they  would see the world, and they were also told that the war would be over before Christmas ?

When I think of this, I wonder just how many young men would do this these days.

He had been injured by shrapnel and was brought home to recuperate before going back again.

When he went back, he heard that many friends had died in the gas attacks, and this left him distressed because he felt he should been there.

On his return he got the offer of work in  the local mine again, but this never lasted along because of his injuries

He had changed from the happy young man, to someone who would spend hours just walking in the countryside, or sitting deep in thought.

I wonder just how many coped with the horrors they had seen in thoughs  few short years.

I guess as a child I knew someone who had hidden nightmares of this horrible war, but he would never ever talk about it.

He was a man who always seemed deep in thought, but he would never talk about this, to either myself or my mother.

He would often take me to local cricket matches in our town, or we would spend hours walking across the countryside.

Looking back , I  wonder if these long walks, were places where he could  listen to wild life and think of the horrors that he had escaped from.

Perhaps it was a way of proving,  that he could walk without being shot at.

I suppose the long  walks and listening to wildlife was a way of reassuring himself that the war was truly over even though his nightmares were still with him

He would often explain what bird made certain noises etc.

But this hid the real man who was still struggling to cope with life, and I guess that wildlife was a life line, and kept him going.

From his diaries I often wondered if he had felt guilty about coming home injured but alive, when he had lost so many friends from his village.

To me he was a giant of  man, and so gentle, but I can never imagine what was going on in his mind.

I miss him a lot.

My wife's Grandfather was also in this war, but we never heard anything about him after signing up, and nothing was ever said

God bless all of those who live with the memories of this horror, and those who lost loved ones.

TBI and dementia

Last week I noticed a news topic about Traumatic Brain Injury and Dementia, and posted it on my blog.

This is a topic which has concerned many people over the years, but no one seems to know whether there are any links or not, so I guess the jury is still out on this one

Taken from an old blog

In the late 1970s, I fell around 15 feet and hit my head on the ground, and vaguely remember lying on the ground  thinking that my head had exploded before I passed out.

I don't have a clue as to how long I was out, but somehow managed to get up off the floor and staggered back to the office to see my boss,   and then went home, where my wife took me to the doctors

Later that day, I had the mother of all headaches, and was taken to hospital,  but after a few x-rays, I was sent home.

My wife said that the doctors did not seem too concerned, because she had rushed me in by car rather than calling an ambulance

The hospital that night was also very full, of people waiting to be seen, and these two doctors were rushed off their feet.

However sometime later, I was asked by a different doctor, why I had not been sent for a scan to look for brain injury, but it appears that this never happened

The following day I looked like a panda according to my wife, as I had two enormous black eyes, and a headache which felt as if my head was splitting open.

After contacting the hospital, I was told to take paracetamol.

A few years later I drove through a set of traffic lights, and had no  knowledge of what I had done, which was very distressing because my young  daughter was in the car at the time.

I had driven for two miles, but had no memory of having done this at all, however after speaking to our family doctor, I was then referred to our local neurological hospital and had a lot of tests, after which I was diagnosed as having absence seizures, which caused havoc at work, because of my electrical work etc

I found myself restricted in everything I was allowed to do.

When the Lewy Body Dementia was diagnosed around 10 years later, we were told that there was no sign of me ever having these seizures which came as a shock.

This left me a little concerned, as I could not understand how you could be diagnosed as having something, and then the same hospital department overturned the original diagnosis.

We were told by one doctor, that it could have been the Lewy Body Dementia in its early stages, something that another consultant later over ruled.

Last week

Last week we had some friends staying with us, and this topic raised its head.

I was amazed to hear that this old friend had,  had the same experience years ago, and has had seizures etc which are now controlled, but also has dementia.

Her husband and my wife were talking about the day after each accident, when we had both woken up with huge black eyes?

Although we had not met at the time of our accidents and they were not linked, it was strange to hear this, after all of these years.

I was on medication for two years to control these seizures, and had been told to stop driving etc, and take things very easy, because a bang on the front of the skull could be dangerous.

Whether there is a link between TBI and dementia, we may never know, but only time will tell, but I have heard of many people who had head injuries who went on to get dementia.

These days we are hearing quite a lot about sports personalities like rugby and football players going on to get dementia after head injuries, so I am starting like others to ask if there is a link

     

Coincidence or what?

REM sleep disorder and acting out dreams

REM sleep disorder causes people to act out their dreams

Researchers have a non-invasive diagnostic tool called a liquid biopsy that replaces cutting.

Ivanhoe News Service

Saturday, July 22, 2017 06:45AM

It's a condition that most of us have never heard of, but REM sleep disorder is most common in men who also have Parkinson's disease, or Lewy body dementia.

When most of us sleep, our bodies enter a state of muscle paralysis. People with REM sleep behavior disorder lose that, and are capable of acting out physical activity in their dreams, which can be violent.

Orvis "Rig" Rigsby and his wife, Karen, loved theater and travel.

"He was a theater professor and I was a theater person so for me it was really. There was an immediate connection and we had a similar sense of humor and it was just a lot of fun," Karen said.

But just a few years ago, Rig started showing signs of dementia.

"He had an incident where he got very disoriented and lost in our backyard and that's when we started looking for help from a neurologist," Karen said.

At first, Dr. Ira Goodman thought Rig had Alzheimer's disease.

"And actually I initially referred him for a clinical trial for Alzheimer's disease but right before he entered I changed my mind," said Dr. Goodman.

Instead, Doctor Goodman diagnosed Rig with Lewy body dementia and REM sleep behavior disorder. The condition causes a person to act out violent dreams.

"There have been fractures, there's been subdural hematomas, and as far as spouses or bed partners, there's been reports of up to two-thirds of bed partners being injured during an episode," Dr. Goodman said.

"Sometimes he would just start yelling or sometimes he would start punching around. Sometimes, it was like he flew off the bed," said Karen.

Currently there is no cure. Rig wears a patch that helps ease the symptoms, but keeping a watchful eye is the best defense.

"If he's having a bad night I'll still sleep in the bed with him and hold my hand on his shoulder," said Karen.

Dr. Goodman and Karen Rigsby say not to be afraid of getting evaluated if you notice any symptoms.

"I tell everybody, don't waste time, don't waste time, don't wait, don't wait, don't wait. That's all you can say," Karen said.

A national phase three clinical trial is underway for a new drug called Nelotanserin to treat the REM sleep behavior disorder. Klonopin, an anti-anxiety drug, called Clonazepan in the generic form, is most commonly prescribed, but it has side effects. Another option mentioned by mayo clinic, is to take a dietary supplement called melatonin. By the way, Karen says her husband Orvis still loves theatre, movies, music and dance.

If you would like more information, check out the medical breakthroughs on the web at www.ivanhoe.com.

Nine Lifestyle changes may reduce risk of dementia

Nine lifestyle changes may reduce risk of dementia

Behind the Headlines

Thursday July 20 2017[

Regular exercise may help lower dementia risk

"Nine lifestyle changes can reduce dementia risk," BBC News reports. A major review by The Lancet has identified nine potentially modifiable risk factors linked to dementia.
The risk factors were:

• low levels of education
• midlife hearing loss
• physical inactivity
• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• type 2 diabetes
• obesity
• smoking
• depression
• social isolation

However, it's important to note that even if you add up the percentage risk of all of these factors, they only account for about 35% of the overall risk of getting dementia. This means about 65% of the risk is still due to factors you can't control, such as ageing and family history.
Although not guaranteed to prevent dementia, acting on the risk factors above should improve your physical and mental wellbeing.

What is dementia?

Dementia refers to a group of symptoms associated with the gradual decline of the brain and its abilities. Symptoms include problems with memory loss, language and thinking speed.
The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. Vascular dementia is the next most common, followed by dementia with Lewy bodies.
For more information, visit the NHS Choices Dementia Guide.

Where did the review come from?

This review was written by the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care (LCDPIC). The commission is established by convening experts in the field to consolidate current and emerging evidence on preventing and managing dementia. It generates evidence-based recommendations on how to address risk factors and dementia symptoms. These are presented in this review.
The LCDPIC endeavoured to use the best possible evidence to make the recommendations. However, in cases where the evidence was incomplete, it summarised the balance of the evidence, drawing attention to the strengths and limitations.
The media in general has covered the review responsibly and accurately, with helpful comments from experts in the field.

What does the review say?

The review examines aspects of how better to manage the burden of dementia: the risk factors, interventions for prevention and interventions for treatment.

Risk factors

The LCDPIC discusses the effects of several different risk factors potentially linked to dementia.
The review reported population attributable fractions (PAFs). PAFs are an estimate of the proportion of cases of a certain outcome (in this case, dementia) that could be avoided if exposure to specific risk factors were eliminated – for example, how many lung cancer cases would be prevented if nobody smoked.
Using the available evidence, researchers calculated PAFs for the following risk factors.

Education

Less time in education – specifically, no secondary school education – was responsible for 7.5% of the risk of developing dementia.

Hearing loss

The relationship between hearing loss and the onset of dementia is fairly new. It's thought that hearing loss may add stress to an already vulnerable brain with regard to the changes that occur. Hearing loss may also increase feelings of social isolation. However, it's also possible that old age could have a role to play in this association.
The LCDPIC analysis found that hearing loss could be responsible for 9.1% of the risk of developing dementia.

Exercise and physical activity

A lack of physical activity was shown to be responsible for 2.6% of the risk of dementia onset. Older adults who do not exercise are less likely to maintain higher levels of cognition than those who do engage in physical activity.

Hypertension, type 2 diabetes and obesity

These three risk factors are somewhat interlinked; however, all had PAFs lower than 5%, with hypertension contributing the greatest risk of the three:

• hypertension – 2%
• type 2 diabetes – 1.2%
• obesity – 0.8%

Smoking

Smoking was found to contribute to 5.5% of the risk of dementia onset. This is a combination of smoking being more widespread in older generations, and there being a link between smoking and cardiovascular conditions.

Depression

It's possible that depressive symptoms increase dementia risk due to their effect on stress hormones and hippocampal volume. However, it's not clear whether depression is a cause or a symptom of dementia. It was found to be responsible for 4% of the risk of developing dementia.

Lack of social contact

Social isolation is increasingly thought to be a risk factor for dementia as it also increases the risk of hypertension, heart conditions and depression. However, as with depression, it remains unclear whether social isolation is a result of the development of dementia.
It was found to contribute to 2.3% of the risk of developing dementia.

Prevention of dementia

The review highlights that although there are potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia, this does not mean dementia as a condition is preventable or easy to treat. It is evident that there are multiple risk factors contributing to the onset of the disease. However, some interventions that could prevent onset include:

• Using antihypertensive drugs, such as ACE inhibitors, in people with hypertension.
• Encouraging people to switch to a Mediterranean diet, which is largely based on vegetables, fruit, nuts, beans, cereal grains, olive oil and fish. This has been proven to improve cardiovascular health, and may help with the symptoms of type 2 diabetes, obesity and hypertension.
• Encouraging people to meet the recommended physical activity levels for adults. Again, regular exercise may help with the symptoms of type 2 diabetes, obesity and hypertension.
• Using cognitive interventions, such as cognitive training, which involves a series of tests and tasks to improve memory, attention and reasoning skills. The review points out, however, that the clinical effectiveness of most commercially available brain-training tools and apps is unproven.
• Encouraging people to become more socially active. This could be by organising social activities – book clubs, for example – for older adults. 
• Continuing to provide support to smokers who want to quit.

Read more about ways to reduce your dementia risk.

TBI and Dementia?

TBI and dementia: Link or no link?

Published Today Published Today

By Yella Hewings-Martin, PhD

10

Researchers are using population studies and animal models to investigate how TBIs might lead to progressive neurodegeneration in some patients.

Whether or not traumatic brain injury predisposes individuals to dementia has long been under investigation, and the results of different studies are often conflicting. But evidence is mounting that traumatic brain injury can cause long-term damage to the brain.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) disrupt the normal function of the brain. They occur as a result of a blow or jolt to the head, or an injury that penetrates it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In 2013, 2.8 million people in the U.S. sustained TBI, of which approximately 56,000 resulted in death. The age groups most affected by TBI were small children up to the age of 4, teenagers and young adults between 14 and 25 years, and those over 75 years of age. The most common causes of TBI were falls, being struck by an object, and car accidents.

The immediate symptoms can range from headaches and blurry vision to slurred speech and short-term memory problems. TBIs can also have long-term effects on health, with an increased risk of seizures and infections sometimes following.

Research has suggested a link between TBI and several forms of progressive neurodegeneration - such as dementia, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson's disease - but there is conflicting evidence.

Why is it so difficult to find conclusive evidence? And what are the long-term predictions for TBI patients?

The latest findings

Last week, Medical News Today reported on a study by Finnish researchers, which was published in the journal PLOS Medicine. Using the Finnish Care Register for Health Care, the team compared the medical notes of working-age individuals under the age of 65 with mild or moderate to severe TBI, all of whom had subsequently developed dementia, Parkinson's disease, or ALS.

They found a link between moderate to severe TBI and dementia, but no links with Parkinson's disease or ALS were discovered.

Importantly, they found that the incidence rate of dementia in moderate to severe TBI patients was similar to that found in the general population. But dementia occurs mostly in the elderly, highlighting that TBI shifts the risk from old age to working age.

The dataset used in this study was comprehensive; Finland has a tax-funded healthcare system. According to the authors, all acute TBI cases are treated at public hospitals and would therefore have been included in the study.

Yet data were only available for TBI patients who had subsequently been admitted to the hospital with neurodegenerative symptoms. The authors explain that it is possible that other patients with a diagnosis of neurodegeneration may have been missed if they had not been hospitalized at the time.

The results of the Finnish study concurred with data published last year in the Asian Pacific Journal of Public Health. Here, rates of dementia were higher among Taiwanese TBI patients than among those who had not sustained TBI.

Another study, published recently in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, failed to establish a link between TBI and Alzheimer's disease.

The authors compared 706 U.S. seniors with and without TBI and found that cognitive decline in participants was not affected by having experienced TBI. But in this study, TBI was self-reported by the study participants rather than assessed in their medical notes, meaning that data may not have been accurate.

A systematic review published earlier this year in Annals of Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine struggled to find a meaningful connection between TBI and Alzheimer's disease.

The review included 18 studies, but the authors were unable to classify TBI by severity. By grouping mild and moderate to severe TBI into the same category, it may not have been possible to establish a connection between TBI and Alzheimer's disease.

Other studies, however, have found clear links between TBI and Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

TBI, neurodegeneration link supported

In an Alzheimer's disease patient cohort, those with histories of moderate to severe TBI began to experience symptoms and received their diagnosis by an average of 2.5 years earlier than non-TBI patients, according to a recent study published in the journal The Clinical Neuropsychologist. But again, TBI was self-reported in this study.
A paper published last year in JAMA Neurology found that while there was no link between TBI and dementia or Alzheimer's disease, there was a connection with Parkinson's disease.
Some of the study participants had consented to brain autopsies after their death. Both mild and moderate to severe TBI patients showed signs of Lewy bodies, a hallmark of Parkinson's disease, in their brains, while moderate to severe TBI patients also had signs of cerebral microinfarcts.
Importantly, while study participants were aged 65 and over, a third of mild and nearly half of moderate to severe TBI patients were age 25 years or younger when they sustained their TBI. This demonstrates that TBI could have long-term neurodegenerative effects.
The problem with this type of study is that they mostly rely on measures of association. This means that researchers establish whether or not there is a link between TBI and neurodegeneration in a particular study population based on the data they are using.
However, it is not possible to establish cause and effect in these studies, meaning that there could be other biological mechanisms involved in causing neurodegeneration in these patients.
To study what happens in the brain after TBI, researchers turn to animals. Here, the events following TBI are beginning to be unraveled.

How can TBI cause neurodegeneration?

A recent article in Reviews in the Neurosciences summarized what is known, to date, about the neurological damage following TBI.
The initial injury damages blood vessels, neurons, and other cell types. As a secondary effect, neurons become overstimulated, resulting in oxidative stress and cell death. Water metabolism is also affected, causing swelling in the brain.
The blood-brain barrier, which is normally impenetrable to most substances, becomes disrupted, allowing immune cells to infiltrate the damaged brain.
The combination of oxidative damage, neuroinflammation, edema, and damaged blood flow can cause significant and long-term damage to the brain.
Using a mouse model of brain injury, a recent study published in The Journal of Neuroscience set out to investigate the long-term effects of TBI in more detail.
Damage to the regions surrounding the injury site was immediate. Crucially, long-term damage was observed in distant regions in the brain and was attributed to chronic neuroinflammation.
In a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, long-term effects were also observed after TBI in a study reported in Neuroscience Letters. Interestingly, there were no immediate differences in the brains of aged mice that had experienced TBI and those that had not.
Both injured and uninjured mice developed senile plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, at the same rate for the first week of the study. However, at 28 days after the TBI, significantly more plaques were present in the mice. This was accompanied by impaired spatial learning.
The researchers interpreted this to mean that TBI accelerates Alzheimer's disease symptoms.
For patients who have experienced TBI, what do these data mean?

The need for long-term monitoring

While it is possible to study the cellular events that follow TBI in model systems, it is more difficult to confidently apply these results to human patients.
Many studies point to long-term effects of TBI on the brains of animals and humans, but the extent of the damage and the precise implications remain unclear.
Regardless of their results, what most studies agree on is the need for long-term monitoring for TBI patients, especially those who have experienced moderate to severe TBI. There is also a call for more accurate diagnostic criteria that would allow physicians to spot the onset of TBI-associated neurodegeneration earlier.
This would enable physicians to closely monitor patients and start treatments or interventions early on, with the aim of slowing the progression of cognitive decline.
It is clear that more studies are needed, specifically those that investigate cause and effect and that can link the results to large-scale, accurate population data.
It is also important to remember that not all of those who have sustained TBI will definitely go on to develop progressive neurodegeneration.
In the Finnish study, 1.6 percent of those with a history of mild TBI went on to develop dementia. Even though those with moderate to severe TBI were 90 percent more likely to receive a dementia diagnosis, this still only equates to a rate of 3.5 percent.
While there is strong evidence to suggest a risk of long-term damage to the brain after sustaining TBI, questions remain on why some patients go on to develop progressive neurodegeneration and how many are likely to be affected.

Right to die with dignity

People on television are discussing the rights and wrongs of ending life when you have a terminal illness.

While I am not in this position, of living with a terminal illness, I do in all honesty think that there is far too much red tape connected with this along with far too many so called gooders getting involved

If someone has something like motor neuron disease or rapid form of cancer etc, and there bodies are failing, I don't understand why they should not be allowed to die with dignity, rather than fighting to the bitter end.

In all honesty, we would be prosecuted if we allowed an animal to suffer in similar conditions, yet humans are expected to carry on struggling.

I do feel that the guidelines stop unnecessary premature deaths, yet many people think it's wrong to stop fighting an illness.

I know that there are Christian groups linked with stopping people from dying early when they have had enough, and to be honest it's time they allowed people to make up their own minds.

Many of us have set up guidelines for the end of our lives, and I see nothing wrong with that at all because it was discussed between my wife and I.

To be honest there is no way that I want to be left living in a cabbage state, and if it came to it, I may want to look at alternatives if the chips were down

So let us hope that common sense steps in and people can die with the dignity they deserve

Depression in Dementia etc

A lot has been written over the last few months about depression, yet it seems to appear in many illnesses like Parkinson and Dementia, to name only two.

Many doctors don't look at the cause of the depression, and simply want to issue sedatives etc, "but is this the real  answer.".
Surely they should be looking for the true cause, rather than using drugs,

I know that there are times now when my brain goes,  and I am no longer able to think or plan things as I was used to, and this is upsetting, because it's very hard to accept or understand.

I have often been accused of frowning these days, yet there are times when  I  have no real  idea when I am smiling, unless I can look into a mirror.
Facial expressions don't mean a lot to me anymore.

It's not easy when you are not I control of these things,  and sometimes it's embarrassing.

Things like reading and understanding letters and documents can be an experience, because I don't always understand what I am reading or seeing.

I often misunderstand what people are saying these days, and this in turn causes upset,  until it's all explained properly. But I think this is my brain working things out wrongly

This causes mistrust between people, but unless you to have been there you would never understand it.

These days it takes me longer to work to things out, or try to carry on doing  normal things, and have to resort to items such as voice activated software on my computer, so that I can write my blogs etc.

But I guess over the years we have all said, that we feel totally depressed, but it's only when things go wrong and you cannot workout how to correct them.

It's a phrase which can cause a lot of trouble these days, especially if you say it to the wrong person, like an uncaring doctor

When I was first aware that things were going wrong, and had not been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, all I got from the family doctors was that it was depression

Yet the job I was in, there was not enough time to get depressed, as I worked 24 hours a day doing breakdowns.

Yes it was hectic from what I can remember, but it was a job I loved.

I did not always get a full nights sleep, but my employers always said, that when the chips were down, I stepped up a gear to get the breakdowns or power failures sorted out.

Perhaps other people would have simply become stressed or depressed,  but I enjoyed my life, until I could not do my Job anymore.

I guess that because I could not remember how to do estimates and electrical work anymore,  and ended up counting on my fingers, which was distressing

But in this case who wouldn't be depressed, it was because I was losing control over my brain and thought that I was going mad.

I do feel that life has been turned on it's head, in more ways  than one, and things are no longer what they seem, and this causes me at times to feel depressed, but as with memory problems etc, I have to fight it for my families sake.

But I do feel that we need more support for depression or the symptoms of this illness to stop it getting any worse

I don't remember in all honesty hearing about so many suicides as we have these days, but if we are honest there is not the support out there, that we should have.
We also have Government who don't care about anyone but themselves and that does not help.

Let us hope that in the future we get more support for those in need, before it's too late.

While I openly admit to getting depressed at times, I do have ways of trying to deal with it, and turn things around.

Yes it's to do with losing control over my brain, but that's life and I have to hang on to that and help others wherever I can.

I realise that I am starting to lose control of my photography quite a lot these days,  but I will just have to find something else to do and be positive

I have my family and grandchildren and they are more important to me.

Brain training app

Brain training app reduces symptoms of pre-dementia

Marco Ricci

July 5, 2017

Brain training apps can help ward off early signs of dementia, according to a new study.

The study, jointly carried out by Cambridge University and University of East Anglia researchers, and partly funded by Janssen, found that an app called Game Show improved the memory of patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment – a precursor for dementia.

The game involves associating geometric patterns with locations. Its difficulty increases each time a player guesses correctly.

Half of the patients used the app for two hours per week over four weeks. The other played no games at all.

The app specifically improved ‘episodic’ memory by around 40%. This type of memory is based on autobiographical events like past locations they have visited. Better episodic memory therefore helps with day-to-day activities, for example remembering where a car has been parked.

“Game Show could hold some benefit for people with mild memory problems,” said Dr Carol Routledge from Alzheimer’s Research UK, speaking to The Telegraph.

“But without more research we can’t tell if the same benefits could be achieved with any other electronic game.”
Larger trials investigating the game’s use have been planned.

An alternative to medicine?

Numerous studies have indicated the benefits of regularly using brain training apps. However, more, longer-term studies need to be conducted to understand whether they can help with symptoms or prolong disease onset.

In the pharmaceutical world, no company has so far developed a cure for dementia, although some drugs can control symptoms.

In the US, Roivant Sciences spinout Axovant recently received FDA fast track designation for its pipeline drug nelotanserin. The drug treats visual hallucinations associated with dementia with Lewy bodies.

The firm’s lead candidate, intepirdine, is currently in a phase 3 trial for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. It is being tested in combination with current standard therapy of donepezil in its ability to improve patient cognition.

Other, larger companies have developed candidates in the past which have unfortunately proved unsuccessful. One of the more notable examples is Eli Lilly’s solanezumab, which failed in a phase 3 study involving patients with early stage disease late last year.

Lewy Body Dementia

Lewy body dementia: Thousands 'at risk of injury or death' due to inappropriate prescription of antipsychotics

Prescription of these drugs often worsens symptoms and has been found to increase the risk of death fourfold

• Katie Forster Health Correspondent
• @katieforster
• Thursday 6 July 2017 11:58 BST

    

The Independent Online

Around 120,000 people are estimated to suffer from Lewy Body Dementia in the UK Getty

Thousands of people in the UK with a commonly misdiagnosed form of dementia are at increased risk of injury or death because they are being prescribed potentially harmful antipsychotic medication, experts have warned.

The symptoms of Lewy body dementia include hallucinations, motor problems, fainting spells and disturbed sleep in which people appear to “act out” their dreams, as well as the cognitive decline associated with other forms of the disease.

Dementia with Lewy bodies is the second most common form of the disease after Alzheimer's and is estimated to account for 10 to 15 per cent of all dementia cases.

Read more

• Number of dementia sufferers 'set to hit 1.2 million by 2040'
• One in three UK nursing homes failing safety checks, inspections find
• Brain training app improves memories of people with Dementia

However, up to 60,000 people in Britain may be unaware they have the condition, which is missed or misdiagnosed in up to 50 per cent of cases, said Professor Clive Ballard, a leading researcher of the disease at the University of Exeter.

Antipsychotic drugs given to dementia sufferers to treat behavioural disturbances has been found to increase the risk of death for people with Lewy body dementia fourfold, compared to one and a half times in people with Alzheimer’s disease, he warned.

These medicines, prescribed to around 15 per cent of people with dementia overall, can worsen symptoms of Parkinson’s disease commonly seen in Lewy body dementia sufferers, leading to risky falls.
They can also trigger a potentially fatal syndrome known as a “neurolaptic sensitivity reaction”, described by Professor Ballard as “a very acute syndrome which can come on within one or two hours of taking an antipsychotic drug, or increasing the dose”.

“When people have these reactions they develop very severe Parkinson’s symptoms and become very confused. You also get a breakdown of muscle cells which can lead to renal failure; there’s quite a high mortality rate acutely associated to these reactions.


Professor Ballard said around a quarter of people diagnosed with Lewy body dementia will have such a reaction when given the wrong medication.

Even if people do not die as a result of the syndrome, they may experience a steep decline in their condition “which they usually do not recover from”, he added.

A new set of diagnosis guidelines have been introduced by the Dementia with Lewy bodies consortium in the hope that better diagnosis rates will reduce the risk of patients being given drugs that may harm them.

• Read more

Neuron reprogramming technique 'could hold key to curing Parkinson's'

“Getting the diagnosis right is very important, particularly for the treatment of the psychiatric symptoms those people may have,” said Professor Ballard.

The vast majority of Lewy body dementia patients – 80 per cent – experience a very high frequency of distressing psychotic symptoms, he added.

“If they’re misdiagnosed there’s a very high likelihood those individuals will be given an antipsychotic drug, which could be very damaging for that individual.”

In total, around 120,000 people are estimated to suffer from Lewy body dementia in the UK. The NHS says “more than 100,000” may have the condition.

Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinsons Dementia

Lewy body dementia, an umbrella term for both Parkinson’s disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies

By: Mohan Garikiparithi | Brain Function |

     

Lewy body dementia (LBD) is an umbrella term referring to both Parkinson’s disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies. In dementia with Lewy bodies, cognitive symptoms interfering with daily living present themselves before or within one year of Parkinson’s-like movement problems. In Parkinson’s disease dementia, cognitive symptoms usually don’t appear until after a year of the onset of movement problems.

Researcher Howard I. Hurtig explained, “An early and accurate diagnosis may be lifesaving. The avoidance of medications that can worsen the symptoms of LBD cannot be overemphasized. Every patient with LBD and their caregiver(s) should memorize the list of acceptable and forbidden drugs.”

Lewy body dementia is characterized by an abnormal buildup of Lewy bodies in areas of the brain responsible for memory, behavior, movement, and personality. Parkinson’s disease symptoms primarily affect mobility and motor abilities. Diagnosis can be difficult because more than one cognitive disorder can be causing changes in the brain. For proper diagnosis and differentiation between dementia and Parkinson’s disease, it’s best to consult with a neurologist or geriatric physician.

Signs and symptoms of dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia

Parkinson’s disease dementia

·         Changes in memory, concentration, or judgement

·         Trouble interpreting visual information

·         Muffled speech

·         Visual hallucinations

·         Delusions, paranoid thoughts

·         Depression

·         Irritability and anxiety

·         Sleep disturbances

·         Loss of decision-making ability

·         Disorientation in familiar surroundings

·         Trouble learning new material

·         Difficulty using complex language

Dementia with Lewy bodies

·         Changes in thinking and reasoning

·         Confusion and alertness that varies significantly

·         Parkinson’s symptoms

·         Visual hallucinations

·         Delusions

·         Trouble interpreting visual information

·         Acting out dreams

·         Memory loss

As you can see, Parkinson’s disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies share many signs and symptoms. It’s important that a specialist reviews the patient’s specific symptoms to establish a proper diagnosis and recommend an appropriate mode of treatment.

What is Lewy Body Disease

What Lewy Body Disease Is

On this page:

• Lewy body disease is a kind of dementia
• What are Lewy bodies?
• Symptoms of Lewy body disease
• Treatment
• Why do some people get Lewy body disease?
• For more information

        Lewy body disease is a kind of dementia

Lewy body disease is a kind of dementia. Dementia is a general decline in cognitive abilities (thinking, memory, language, etc.) usually due to degeneration of the brain. There are many kinds of dementia. The most common and best known kind is Alzheimer's disease. Lewy body disease is thought to be the second most common kind of dementia. It causes cognitive problems similar to those seen in Alzheimer's disease and motor problems like those in Parkinson's. Like Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body disease is currently incurable and it gets worse with time. It should be noted that there are some kinds of dementia (for example, those caused by a thyroid problem or a deficiency in vitamin B-12) that can be reversed. That's why it's important to have a full work-up done when dementia is suspected.

Lewy body disease is also referred to as dementia with Lewy bodies, Lewy body dementia, diffuse Lewy body disease, senile dementia of Lewy body type, and Lewy body variant of Alzheimer's disease.

Despite its prevalence, Lewy body disease is not well known. Every year, it seems that Newsweek and other popular magazines run a feature article on the progress made against Alzheimer's disease, and any new information about Alzheimer's is big news. In these articles there's never a mention of Lewy body disease. In our experience many health professionals (physical therapists, nurses, and even some doctors) aren't well informed about Lewy body disease.

        What are Lewy bodies?

In 1912, while Frederick Lewy was examining the brains of people with Parkinson's disease, he discovered irregularities in the cells in the mid-brain region. These abnormal structures (microscopic protein deposits found in deteriorating nerve cells) became known as Lewy bodies. Since that time, the presence of Lewy bodies in the mid-brain has been recognized as a hallmark of Parkinson's disease. In the 1960s, researchers found Lewy bodies in the cortex (the outer layer of gray matter) of the brains of some people who had dementia. Lewy bodies in the cortex are known as cortical Lewy bodies or diffuse Lewy bodies. (That's why Lewy body disease is sometimes called cortical Lewy body disease or diffuse Lewy body disease.) Cortical Lewy bodies were thought to be rare, until the 1980s when improved methodologies showed that Lewy body disease was more common than previously realized.

People with Lewy body disease have Lewy bodies in the mid-brain region (like those with Parkinson's disease) and in the cortex of the brain. It's believed that they usually also have the "plaques and tangles" of the brain that characterize Alzheimer's disease. Conversely, it's believed that many people with Alzheimer's disease also have cortical Lewy bodies. Because of the overlap, it's likely that many people with Lewy body disease are misdiagnosed (at least initially) as having either Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease. A big factor in the misdiagnosis might be that Lewy body disease is relatively unknown.

       Symptoms of Lewy body disease

People with Lewy body disease have cognitive problems (problems with thinking, memory, language, etc.) similar to those that occur in Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, it can be hard to distinguish the two. Some doctors think there are three distinguishing features and the presence of two of them makes the diagnosis of Lewy body disease probable:

• Motor problems typical of Parkinson's disease but usually not so severe as to warrant a diagnosis of Parkinson's. Of these problems, an impairment in walking (a shuffling gait) might be the most common one. Also common would be muscle stiffness and a tendency to fall. Tremor would be less common.
• Fluctuations in cognitive function with varying levels of alertness and attention. Periods of being alert and coherent alternate with periods of being confused and unresponsive to questions.
• Visual hallucinations, usually occurring early on. Delusions may be common too.

It's possible that people with Lewy body disease are better able to form new memories than those with Alzheimer's disease. Compared with Alzheimer's, Lewy body disease may affect speed of thinking, attention and concentration, and visual-spatial abilities more severely than memory and language. Depression may be a typical symptom too.

      Treatment

Right now, doctors prescribe drugs to treat four major features found in Lewy body disease (also see the medication section of our Information page):

• Cognitive problems. Usually, a drug like Aricept is prescribed. This is the same drug that is commonly prescribed for Alzheimer's disease. In some people, it seems to slow the progression of the disease.
• Motor problems. Levodopa/carbidopa (Sinemet) is frequently prescribed to deal with the motor problems. This medication can worsen hallucinations, though.
• Hallucinations. An antipsychotic medication, such as Zyprexa, might be prescribed. This kind of medication can worsen motor problems, though. Also note the FDA warning.
• Depression. In cases of depression, an antidepressant, such as Zoloft or Prozac, might be prescribed.