Redefining Dementia with Lewy Bodies: From Clinical Diagnosis to Targeted Therapies
This article discusses the challenges of diagnosing Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) and the importance of distinguishing it from Alzheimer's disease. It highlights the need for early recognition of clinical features like cognitive fluctuations and visual hallucinations to improve patient outcomes.
Why it matters
DLB is often misdiagnosed or managed incorrectly; clearer diagnostic criteria and targeted therapies are vital for reducing the high healthcare costs and burden associated with the disease.
Author: Katrina Thornber, EMJ, London, UK
Citation: EMJ Neurol. 2026;14[1]:25-28. https://doi.org/10.33590/emjneurol/5CY897MD
Opening the session, Evelien Lemstra, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, the Netherlands, highlighted the challenges associated with recognising DLB, a heterogeneous disorder with diverse clinical presentations. Although currently incurable, many symptoms can be treated, and early diagnosis remains essential to enable appropriate management. She emphasised that patients with DLB experience poorer outcomes compared with those with Alzheimer’s disease, including higher healthcare costs and increased likelihood of nursing home admission, 1 raising the possibility that earlier recognition and intervention could improve future outcomes.
Lemstra explained that DLB is characterised by α-synuclein pathology, although Alzheimer’s disease-related pathology is also concurrently present in a substantial proportion of patients. Unlike Alzheimer’s disease, where memory and language impairment are often prominent, DLB is typically associated with deficits in executive function, visuospatial abilities, and attention.
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