Dementia with Lewy bodies is the second most frequent cause of hospitalization for dementia, after Alzheimer's disease. It consists of a set of disorders characterized by the development of abnormal proteinaceous cytoplasmic inclusions, called Lewy bodies, inside neurons and the degeneration of brain stem cells responsible for the manufacture of the neurotransmitter dopamine. The cerebral cortex also degenerates.
Dementia with Lewy bodies is similar in some ways to the dementia resulting from Alzheimer's disease. It also is manifested in symptoms similar to those of Parkinson's disease as well as in early development of hallucinations and pronounced variation in intellectual function, attention, and alertness.
It is often confused in its early stages with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia (multi-infarct dementia). No cause has been identified.
Dementia with Lewy bodies is also known under a variety of other names for example, senile dementia of Lewy type. All incorporate the name Lewy.
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