Journal of the Korean Society of Biological Therapies in Psychiatry 2019;25(1):60-68

Diagnosis and Clinical Progress in a Case of Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Sang Shin LEE 1 ; Min Jeong KIM

Affiliations

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Keywords

Dementia with Lewy bodies; Delirium; Alpha-Synuclein; Hyponatremia; Falls

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

Dementia with Lewy bodies(DLB) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. However, DLB might not be adequately diagnosed due to its variety of clinical symptoms. The authors present 65-year-old Mrs. A. who showed Parkinson's movement, cognitive decline, psychological symptoms, and autonomic dysfunction. According to the clinical features and biological markers in the recently revised DLB criteria, Mrs. A. was diagnosed with probable DLB. Differential diagnoses of delirium, Parkinson's dementia, and Alzheimer's dementia were discussed. Psychopharmacological treatments of antidepressants or anxiolytics caused intolerable side effects and showed little efficacy to Mrs. A. She experienced two episodes of hyponatremia during her one-year treatment. Recovery from neurological symptoms due to the first hyponatremia was time-consuming, and in the second, it was associated with changes in the level of consciousness despite relatively mild hyponatremia. A fall that occurred in the latter part of treatment triggered remarkable deterioration of DLB symptoms and daily life function. Prevention of falls is important for maintaining the quality of life of patients with DLB.