Signs Of Lewy Body Dementia

Lewy body dementia is a medical condition that causes abnormal deposits of alpha-synuclein, Lewy bodies, in the brain. These protein deposits have an adverse reaction on the brain and create problems with thinking, movement, behavior, and mood. The protein deposits are one of the leading causes of dementia. The symptoms of Lewy body dementia are difficult to diagnose because it is similar to other brain conditions. This brain disease simulates Alzheimer's and schizophrenia symptoms and can be found among other brain disorders. Individuals can be diagnosed with dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's disease with dementia. There are more than one million individuals in the United States diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. Symptoms typically begin in those aged fifty and over and may affect younger individuals. 

Hallucinations

A hallucination is a vision that is not there. During a hallucination, individuals can also smell things and hear voices. When individuals hear voices, they can be inside or outside their head. These voices are called an auditory hallucination, and they can be talking to the affected individual or each other. A visual hallucination can be frightening and may include patients seeing bugs crawling on them or someone else.

Individuals can also have olfactory hallucinations and smell things that are not there. Some have gustatory hallucinations that interfere with the ability to taste what they are eating. A tactile hallucination makes individuals feel things crawling on their skin. The protein deposits that form on the brain due to Lewy body disease cause hallucinations.

Of course, hallucinating is not the only symptom of this condition. Keep reading to learn more signs, including how these deposits can also bring on movement disorders and the poor regulation of body functions.