Lewy Body Dementia Association |
The Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) is one of the only organizations dedicated to improving the care for and research about this disease. Being treated incorrectly has negative lasting impact on people with LBD so improving the diagnosis and understanding of the disease is critical.
The information below is copied from the LBDA page "Lewy Who?" as an effort to increase exposure to these critical facts. Please consider sharing the LBDA resources with others to expand knowledge of this disease and the support for those who have it. To download a .pdf of this publication, click here. To view a web version of this publication, click here.
WHAT IS LEWY BODY DEMENTIA? Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a progressive brain disorder in which Lewy bodies (abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein) build up in areas of the brain that regulate behavior, cognition, and movement. A complex disease, LBD can present with a range of symptoms including problems with thinking, memory, moving, sleep and/or changes in behavior, to name a few of the physical, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. LBD also affects autonomic body functions, such as blood pressure control, temperature regulation, and bladder and bowel function. Progressively debilitating, LBD can also cause people to experience visual hallucinations or act out their dreams. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LBD AND DEMENTIA WITH LEWY BODIES? LBD is an umbrella term for two closely related clinical diagnoses: Parkinson’s disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). WHAT CAUSES LBD? The causes of LBD are not yet well understood, but research is ongoing in this area. There are probably multiple factors involved, including genetic and environmental risk factors that combine with natural aging processes to make someone susceptible to LBD. WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF LBD? This condition impairs thinking, such as memory, executive function (planning, processing information), or the ability to understand visual information. Patients with LBD may have fluctuations in attention or alertness; problems with movement including tremors, stiffness, slowness and difficulty walking; hallucinations; and alterations in sleep and behavior. |
The Lewy Body Dementia Association will receive any revenue from purchasing Emily Anderson's artwork via StoryBird. The quality of her images is much higher there than on this website.
Or, feel free to just donate to LBDA directly! compare LBD Early signs with Parkinsons and alzheimersClick image to open larger in a separate window.
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Our Families |
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The families of Emily Anderson and Robbie Nelson Sr. aim to increase awareness of and support for Lewy Body Dementia research and care, in part by connecting visual art and artful stories to efforts to inform health care workers and people connected to Lewy Body Dementia about the way the care for people with LBDA can be improved. This website was created with that intent.
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