Abstract
Introduction
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common form of dementia, however it can be difficult to recognise and is often misdiagnosed. Many cognitive, motor and psychiatric symptoms occur in the prodromal phase of DLB, years before clinical diagnosis. Delirium-onset DLB is one of three purported prodromal pathways by which DLB develops (McKeith et al., 2020). As delirium itself is an under-recognised clinical syndrome, this scoping review aimed to determine the epidemiology and clinical phenotype of delirium-onset DLB.
Methods
Electronic databases MEDLINE (ALL), Embase, Web of Science and PsycINFO were searched in December 2023. Two reviewers then independently screened titles, abstracts and full-text reports. Conflicts were resolved by a third reviewer. Data were then extracted by the lead reviewer and quality assessments were conducted.
Results
Following the removal of duplicates, the search yielded 719 results. Of these, 154 studies underwent full-text review and 38 were eligible for inclusion. This review describes 64 cases of delirium-onset DLB in case studies/reports (n=18), observational studies (n=3), retrospective cohort studies (n=12) and clinicopathological studies (n=5).
Conclusion
Delirium-onset DLB is an under-researched area. There is a dearth of evidence regarding both the epidemiology and clinical phenotype of this prodromal phase. Clear and systematic methods for the diagnosis of both delirium and DLB are needed in order to elucidate this pathway. At present, it is not clear what role biomarkers play in the detection of delirium-onset DLB. Further investigation of these tools, combined with neuropathological studies, could shed light on the pathogenesis of this disease.
Comments
Dementia with Lewy bodies & delirium
Thank you for sharing this significant piece of work! We need more research funding into DLB