Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T14:28:18.654Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The prevalence and incidence of dementia with Lewy bodies: a systematic review of population and clinical studies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2013

S. A. Vann Jones  and
J. T. O'Brien
S. A. Vann Jones
Affiliation:
Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, UK
J. T. O'Brien*
Affiliation:
Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, UK Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
*
* Address for correspondence: Professor J. T. O'Brien, Department of Psychiatry, Level E4, Box 189, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QC, UK. (Email: john.obrien@medschl.cam.ac.uk)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is increasingly recognized as a common cause of dementia in older people. However, its true frequency remains unclear, with previous studies reporting a prevalence range from zero to 22.8% of all dementia cases. This review aimed to establish the population prevalence and incidence for DLB and to compare this to its prevalence in secondary care settings.

Method

A literature review of all relevant population and clinical studies was conducted using PubMed. Additional references from papers found during that process were added to this.

Results

DLB accounted for 4.2% of all diagnosed dementias in the community. In secondary care this increased to 7.5%. The incidence of DLB was 3.8% of new dementia cases. There was a significant increase in DLB diagnoses when using the revised (2005) International Consensus Criteria (ICC) for DLB compared to the original (1996) criteria.

Conclusions

DLB currently accounts for around one in 25 dementia cases diagnosed in the community and one in 13 cases in secondary care. The significantly higher rates of DLB in secondary care may reflect enhanced diagnostic accuracy in specialist settings and/or the increased morbidity and carer burden of the DLB syndrome compared to other dementias. However, the true prevalence is likely to be much higher because DLB diagnoses are often missed, although there is evidence that new criteria aid case identification.

Keywords

DementiaLewy body dementia incidenceprevalencereview
Type
Review Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 44 , Issue 4 , March 2014 , pp. 673 - 683
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aarsland, D, Rongve, A, Nore, SP, Skogseth, R, Skulstad, S, Ehrt, U, Hoprekstad, D, Ballard, C (2008). Frequency and case identification of dementia with Lewy bodies using the revised consensus criteria. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders 26, 445–452.Google Scholar
Alladi, S, Mekala, S, Chadalawada, SK, Jala, S, Mridula, R, Kaul, S (2011). Subtypes of dementia: a study from a memory clinic in India. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders 32, 32–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arslantas, D, Oezbabalik, D, Metintas, S, Oezkan, S, Kalyoncu, C, Oezdemir, G, Arslantas, A (2009). Prevalence of dementia and associated risk factors in Middle Anatolia, Turkey. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience 16, 1455–1459.Google Scholar
Ballard, C, Grace, J, McKeith, I, Holmes, C (1998). Neuroleptic sensitivity in dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease. Lancet 351, 1032–1033.Google Scholar
Ballard, C, McKeith, I, Burn, D, Harrison, R, O'Brien, J, Lowery, K, Campbell, M, Perry, R, Ince, P (1997). The UPDRS scale as a means of identifying extrapyramidal signs in patients suffering from dementia with Lewy bodies. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica 96, 366–371.Google Scholar
Barber, R, Panikkar, A, McKeith, IG (2001). Dementia with Lewy bodies: diagnosis and management. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 16, S12–S18.3.0.CO;2-3>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barker, RA, Foltynie, T (2003). How common is dementia with Lewy bodies? Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 74, 697–698.Google Scholar
Bostrom, F, Jonsson, L, Minthon, L, Londos, E (2007). Patients with Lewy body dementia use more resources than those with Alzheimer's disease. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 22, 713–719.Google Scholar
Chan, SSM, Chiu, HFK, Lam, LCW, Leung, VPY (2002). Prevalence of dementia with Lewy bodies in an inpatient psychogeriatric population in Hong Kong Chinese. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 17, 847–850.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cummings, JL, Mega, M, Gray, K, Rosenberg-Thompson, S, Carusi, DA, Gornbein, J (1994). The Neuropsychiatric Inventory: comprehensive assessment of psychopathology in dementia. Neurology 44, 2308–2314.Google Scholar
de Silva, HA, Gunatilake, SB, Smith, AD (2003). Prevalence of dementia in a semi-urban population in Sri Lanka: report from a regional survey. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 18, 711–715.Google Scholar
Dimitrov, I, Tzourio, C, Milanov, I, Deleva, N, Traykov, L (2012). Prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in a Bulgarian urban population. American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias 27, 131–135.Google Scholar
Falagas, M, Pitsouni, E, Malietzis, G, Pappas, G (2007). Comparison of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar: strengths and weaknesses. FASEB Journal 22, 338–342.Google Scholar
Ferman, TJ, Smith, GE, Boeve, BF, Ivnik, RJ, Petersen, RC, Knopman, D, Graff-Radford, N, Parisi, J, Dickson, DW (2004). DLB fluctuations: specific features that reliably differentiate from AD and normal aging. Neurology 62, 181–187.Google Scholar
Fernandez, Martinez M, Castro, Flores J, Perez de las, Heras S, Mandaluniz, Lekumberri A, Gordejuela, Menocal M, Zarranz, Imirizaldu JJ (2008). Prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in elderly patients with dementia in Mungialde County (Basque Country, Spain). Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders 25, 103–108.Google Scholar
Galasko, D, Salmon, D, Gamst, A, Olichney, J, Thal, LJ, Silbert, L, Kaye, J, Brooks, P, Adonay, R, Craig, UK, Schellenberg, G, Borenstein, AR (2007). Prevalence of dementia in Chamorros on Guam: relationship to age, gender, education, and APOE. Neurology 68, 1772–1781.Google Scholar
Galvin, JE, Duda, JE, Kaufer, DI, Lippa, CF, Taylor, A, Zarit, SH (2010). Lewy body dementia: caregiver burden and unmet needs. Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders 24, 177–181.Google Scholar
Gascon-Bayarri, J, Rene, R, Del Barrio, JL, De Pedro-Cuesta, J, Ramon, M, Manubens, JM, Sanchez, C, Hernandez, M, Estela, J, Juncadella, M, Rubio, FR (2007). Prevalence of dementia subtypes in El Prat de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain: the PRATICON study. Neuroepidemiology 28, 224–234.Google Scholar
Geser, F, Wenning, GK, Poewe, W, McKeith, I (2005). How to diagnose dementia with Lewy bodies: state of the art. Movement Disorders 20, S11–S20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gurvit, H, Emre, M, Tinaz, S, Bilgic, B, Hanagasi, H, Sahin, H, Gurol, E, Kvaloy, JT, Harmanci, H (2008). The prevalence of dementia in an urban Turkish population. American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias 23, 67–76.Google Scholar
Hanyu, H, Sato, T, Hirao, K, Kanetaka, H, Sakurai, H, Iwamoto, T (2009). Differences in clinical course between dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease. European Journal of Neurology 16, 212–217.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harvey, RJ, Skelton-Robinson, M, Rossor, MN (2003). The prevalence and causes of dementia in people under the age of 65 years. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 74, 1206–1209.Google Scholar
Herrera, E, Caramelli, P, Silveira, ASB, Nitrini, R (2002). Epidemiologic survey of dementia in a community-dwelling Brazilian population. Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders 16, 103–108.Google Scholar
Ikeda, M, Hokoishi, K, Maki, N, Nebu, A, Tachibana, N, Komori, K, Shigenobu, K, Fukuhara, R, Tanabe, H (2001). Increased prevalence of vascular dementia in Japan: a community-based epidemiological study. Neurology 57, 839–844.Google Scholar
Jhoo, JH, Kim, KW, Huh, Y, Lee, SB, Park, JH, Lee, JJ, Choi, EA, Han, C, Choo, IH, Youn, JC, Lee, DY, Woo, JI (2008). Prevalence of dementia and its subtypes in an elderly urban Korean population: results from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA). Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders 26, 270–276.Google Scholar
Kim, KW, Park, JH, Kim, M-H, Kim, MD, Kim, B-J, Kim, S-K, Kim, JL, Moon, SW, Bae, JN, Woo, JI, Ryu, S-H, Yoon, JC, Lee, N-J, Lee, DY, Lee, DW, Lee, SB, Lee, JJ, Lee, J-Y, Lee, C-U, Chang, SM, Jhoo, JH, Cho, MJ (2011). A nationwide survey on the prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in South Korea. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 23, 279–289.Google Scholar
Kish, L (1965). Survey Sampling. John Wiley & Sons: New York.Google Scholar
Klatka, LA, Louis, ED, Schiffer, RB (1996). Psychiatric features in diffuse Lewy body disease: a clinicopathologic study using Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease comparison groups. Neurology 47, 1148–1152.Google Scholar
Knapp, M, Prince, M, Albanese, E, Banerjee, S, Dhanasiri, S, Fernandez, J, Ferri, C, McCrone, P, Snell, T, Stewart, R (2007). Dementia UK: the full report. Alzheimer's Society, Kings College London and the London School of Economics: London. Report number: 1.Google Scholar
Litvan, I, Bhatia, KP, Burn, DJ, Goetz, CG, Lang, AE, McKeith, I, Quinn, N, Sethi, KD, Shults, C, Wenning, GK; Movement Disorders Society Scientific Issues Committee (2003). Movement Disorders Society Scientific Issues Committee report: SIC Task Force appraisal of clinical diagnostic criteria for Parkinsonian disorders. Movement Disorders 18, 467–486.Google Scholar
Londos, E, Passant, U, Brun, A, Gustafson, L (2000). Clinical Lewy body dementia and the impact of vascular components. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 15, 40–49.Google Scholar
Matsui, Y, Tanizaki, Y, Arima, H, Yonemoto, K, Doi, Y, Ninomiya, T, Sasaki, K, Iida, M, Iwaki, T, Kanba, S, Kiyohara, Y (2009). Incidence and survival of dementia in a general population of Japanese elderly: the Hisayama study. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 80, 366–370.Google Scholar
Mayeux, R, Denaro, J, Hemenegildo, N, Marder, K, Tang, MX, Cote, LJ, Stem, Y (1992). A population-based investigation of Parkinson's disease with and without dementia. Relationship to age and gender. Archives of Neurology 49, 492–497.Google Scholar
McKeith, IG, Dickson, DW, Lowe, J, Emre, M, O'Brien, JT, Feldman, H, Cummings, J, Duda, JE, Lippa, C, Perry, EK, Aarsland, D, Arai, H, Ballard, CG, Boeve, B, Burn, DJ, Costa, D, Del Ser, T, Dubois, B, Galasko, D, Gauthier, S, Goetz, CG, Gomez-Tortosa, E, Halliday, G, Hansen, LA, Hardy, J, Iwatsubo, T, Kalaria, RN, Kaufer, D, Kenny, RA, Korczyn, A, Kosaka, K, Lee, VMY, Lees, A, Litvan, I, Londos, E, Lopez, OL, Minoshima, S, Mizuno, Y, Molina, JA, Mukaetova-Ladinska, EB, Pasquier, F, Perry, RH, Schulz, JB, Trojanowski, JQ, Yamada, M; Consortium on DLB (2005). Diagnosis and management of dementia with Lewy bodies: third report of the DLB Consortium. Neurology 65, 1863–1872.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McKeith, IG, Galasko, D, Kosaka, K, Perry, EK, Dickson, DW, Hansen, LA, Salmon, DP, Lowe, J, Mirra, SS, Byrne, EJ, Lennox, G, Quinn, NP, Edwardson, JA, Ince, PG, Bergeron, C, Burns, A, Miller, BL, Lovestone, S, Collerton, D, Jansen, ENH, Ballard, C, deVos, RAI, Wilcock, GK, Jellinger, KA, Perry, RH (1996). Consensus guidelines for the clinical and pathologic diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB): report of the consortium on DLB international workshop. Neurology 47, 1113–1124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKeith, IG, Rowan, E, Askew, K, Naidu, A, Allan, L, Barnett, N, Lett, D, Mosimann, UP, Burn, D, O'Brien, JT (2006). More severe functional impairment in dementia with Lewy bodies than Alzheimer disease is related to extrapyramidal motor dysfunction. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 14, 582–588.Google Scholar
Miech, RA, Breitner, JCS, Zandi, PP, Khachaturian, AS, Anthony, JC, Mayer, L (2002). Incidence of AD may decline in the early 90 s for men, later for women: the Cache County study. Neurology 58, 209–218.Google Scholar
Mitchell, AJ (2009). A meta-analysis of the accuracy of the mini-mental state examination in the detection of dementia and mild cognitive impairment. Journal of Psychiatric Research 43, 411–131.Google Scholar
Moher, D, Liberati, A, Tetzlaff, J, Altman, DG; PRISMA Group (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. British Medical Journal 339, b2535.Google Scholar
Molero, AE, Pino-Ramirez, G, Maestre, GE (2007). High prevalence of dementia in a Caribbean population. Neuroepidemiology 29, 107–112.Google Scholar
O'Brien, JT, McKeith, IG, Walker, Z, Tatsch, K, Booij, J, Darcourt, J, Marquardt, M, Reininger, C, Group, DLBS (2009). Diagnostic accuracy of 123I-FP-CIT SPECT in possible dementia with Lewy bodies. British Journal of Psychiatry 194, 34–39.Google Scholar
Palmqvist, S, Hansson, O, Minthon, L, Londos, E (2009). Practical suggestions on how to differentiate dementia with Lewy bodies from Alzheimer's disease with common cognitive tests. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 24, 1405–1412.Google Scholar
Perez, F, Helmer, C, Dartigues, JF, Auriacombe, S, Tison, F (2010). A 15-year population-based cohort study of the incidence of Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies in an elderly French cohort. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 81, 742–746.Google Scholar
Plassman, BL, Langa, KM, Fisher, GG, Heeringa, SG, Weir, DR, Ofstedal, MB, Burke, JR, Hurd, MD, Potter, GG, Rodgers, WL, Steffens, DC, Willis, RJ, Wallace, RB (2007). Prevalence of dementia in the United States: the aging, demographics, and memory study. Neuroepidemiology 29, 125–132.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prince, M, Ferri, CP, Acosta, D, Albanese, E, Arizaga, R, Dewey, M, Gavrilova, SI, Guerra, M, Huang, Y, Jacob, KS, Krishnamoorthy, ES, McKeigue, P, Rodriguez, JL, Salas, A, Sosa, AL, Sousa, RM, Stewart, R, Uwakwe, R (2007). The protocols for the 10/66 dementia research group population-based research programme. BMC Public Health 20, 165.Google Scholar
Rahkonen, T, Eloniemi-Sulkava, U, Rissanen, S, Vatanen, A, Viramo, P, Sulkava, R (2003). Dementia with Lewy bodies according to the consensus criteria in a general population aged 75 years or older. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 74, 720–724.Google Scholar
Ricci, M, Guidoni, SV, Sepe-Monti, M, Bomboi, G, Antonini, G, Blundo, C, Giubilei, F (2009). Clinical findings, functional abilities and caregiver distress in the early stage of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics 49, 101–104.Google Scholar
Sambrook, R, Herrmann, N, Hebert, R, McCracken, P, Robillard, A, Luong, D, Yu, A (2004). Canadian outcomes study in dementia: study methods and patient characteristics. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 49, 417–427.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shaji, KS, Iype, T, Anandan, KR (2002). Clinical diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies. British Journal of Psychiatry 181, 168–169.Google Scholar
Shinagawa, S, Ikeda, M, Toyota, Y, Matsumoto, T, Matsumoto, N, Mori, T, Ishikawa, T, Fukuhara, R, Komori, K, Hokoishi, K, Tanabe, H (2007). Frequency and clinical characteristics of early-onset dementia in consecutive patients in a memory clinic. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders 24, 42–47.Google Scholar
Sonnesyn, H, Nilsen, DW, Rongve, A, Nore, S, Ballard, C, Tysnes, OB, Aarsland, D (2009). High prevalence of orthostatic hypotension in mild dementia. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders 28, 307–313.Google Scholar
Stevens, T, Livingston, G, Kitchen, G, Manela, M, Walker, Z, Katona, C (2002). Islington study of dementia subtypes in the community. British Journal of Psychiatry 180, 270–276.Google Scholar
Takada, LT, Caramelli, P, Radanovic, M, Anghinah, R, Hartmann, A, Guariglia, CC, Bahia, VS, Nitrini, R (2003). Prevalence of potentially reversible dementias in a dementia outpatient clinic of a tertiary university-affiliated hospital in Brazil. Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria 61, 925–929.Google Scholar
Tognoni, G, Ceravolo, R, Nucciarone, B, Bianchi, F, Dell'Agnello, G, Ghicopulos, I, Siciliano, G, Murri, L (2005). From mild cognitive impairment to dementia: a prevalence study in a district of Tuscany, Italy. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica 112, 65–71.Google Scholar
Walker, MP, Ayre, GA, Cummings, JL, Wesnes, K, McKeigh, IG, O'Brien, JT, Ballard, CG (2000). The Clinician Assessment of Fluctuation and the One Day Fluctuation Assessment Scale. Two methods to assess fluctuating confusion in dementia. British Journal of Psychiatry 177, 252–256.Google Scholar
Wilcock, GK (2003). Dementia with Lewy bodies. Lancet 362, 1689–1690.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, MM, Xiong, CJ, Morris, JC, Galvin, JE (2006). Survival and mortality differences between dementia with Lewy bodies vs Alzheimer disease. Neurology 67, 1935–1941.Google Scholar
Yamada, T, Hattori, H, Miura, A, Tanabe, M, Yamori, Y (2001). Prevalence of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies in a Japanese population. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 55, 21–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yamada, T, Kadekaru, H, Matsumoto, S, Inada, H, Tanabe, M, Moriguchi, EH, Moriguchi, Y, Ishikawa, P, Ishikawa, AG, Taira, K, Yamori, Y (2002). Prevalence of dementia in the older Japanese-Brazilian population. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 56, 71–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yokota, O, Sasaki, K, Fujisawa, Y, Takahashi, J, Terada, S, Ishihara, T, Nakashima, H, Kugo, A, Ata, T, Ishizu, H, Kuroda, S (2005). Frequency of early and late-onset dementias in a Japanese memory disorders clinic. European Journal of Neurology 12, 782–790.Google Scholar
Yoshida, H, Terada, S, Honda, H, Ata, T, Takeda, N, Kishimoto, Y, Oshima, E, Ishihara, T, Kuroda, S (2011). Validation of Addenbrooke's cognitive examination for detecting early dementia in a Japanese population. Psychiatry Research 185, 211–214.Google Scholar
Yusuf, AJ, Baiyewu, O, Sheikh, TL, Shehu, AU (2011). Prevalence of dementia and dementia subtypes among community-dwelling elderly people in northern Nigeria. International Psychogeriatrics 23, 379–386.Google Scholar
Zaccai, J, McCracken, C, Brayne, C (2005). A systematic review of prevalence and incidence studies of dementia with Lewy bodies. Age and Ageing 34, 561–566.Google Scholar
Zupancic, M, Mahajan, A, Handa, K (2011). Dementia with Lewy bodies: diagnosis and management for primary care providers. Primary Care Companion to CNS Disorders 13, pii: PCC.11r01190.Google Scholar