British actor Sir Patrick Stewart (86), known for his iconic roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation and X-Men movies, passed away in Los Angeles.
Stewart's family, in a statement, described his final days as a "brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia".
Stewart suffered a series of health issues from long ago, including coronary artery disease, severe arthritis, and alopecia.
What is Lewy body dementia?
Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a progressive brain disorder caused by abnormal clumps of the protein alpha-synuclein—called Lewy bodies—that damage nerve cells in areas of the brain controlling thinking, memory, and movement.
It is one of the most common types of dementia after Alzheimer's disease, accounting for roughly 10 to 20 per cent of all cases.
Is the disease terminal?
Lewy body dementia is severe and terminal. While disease duration varies widely (typically 5 to 8 years from diagnosis, though ranging from 2 to 20 years), it causes a steady, cumulative decline.
Early-stage symptoms include minor memory gaps, fluctuating levels of alertness, severe sleep disruptions such as vivid dreams, and early visual hallucinations.
However, in the later stages, it causes increasing confusion, motor symptoms, paranoia, heightened fall risk and delusions. It could even cause severe muscular rigidity, inability to walk or swallow safely, complete loss of speech and cognitive function.
According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, death with DLB could be sudden or a gradual process over many months.
Who are at risk?
Age remains the primary risk factor. The likelihood of developing LBD increases significantly after age 60–65.
As per Cleveland Clinic, LBD usually affects people after age 50. Having a biological family history of LBD or Parkinson’s disease can raise your risk. Also, men are at a slightly higher risk of developing Lewy body dementia than women.
Individuals diagnosed with idiopathic RBD (acting out dreams during sleep due to loss of normal muscle paralysis) have a very high statistical likelihood of developing a synucleinopathy like LBD or Parkinson's later in life.
Researchers are still studying other factors that may raise the risk of developing this condition.
