Many people are taking powerful drugs for Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s when they don’t have either problem. Instead, they are just as likely to be suffering from a disease that almost nobody has heard of: Lewy body dementia (LBD).
More people suffer from LBD than Parkinson’s, and it’s the second most common form of progressive dementia after Alzheimer’s.
Unfortunately, LBD is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, and sufferers are given the wrong drugs that can do more harm than good.
LBD is associated with abnormal protein deposits in the brain, known as Lewy bodies. It affects thinking, movement, behaviour and mood. It’s often confused with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s because the symptoms are similar.
One clue that it is LBD is that cognitive problems appear within a year of Parkinson-like symptoms, says the Lewy Body Dementia Association.
(Source: Lewy Body Dementia Association website)
