Lewy body dementia

Abstract

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) represents the second most common cause of neurodegenerative dementia after Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) Consortium has refined its recommendations about the clinical and pathologic diagnosis of DLB, updating the previous report, which has been in widespread use for the last decade. The revised DLB consensus criteria now distinguish clearly between clinical features and diagnostic biomarkers and give guidance about optimal methods to establish and interpret these. Important new information has been updated about previously reported aspects of DLB, with increased diagnostic weighting given to REM sleep behaviour disorder and 123iodine-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) myocardial scintigraphy. The diagnostic role of other neuroimaging, electrophysiologic and laboratory investigations is also better specified. Substantial progress has been made since the previous report in the detection and recognition of DLB as a common and important clinical disorder.