That news took even Williams’ closest friends by surprise, in part because the actor had kept the diagnosis a secret and also because this particular form of the disease is so poorly understood.
Dr. Angela Bentle, a geriatrics specialist with the Methodist Charlton Medical Center, recently sat down for a public-access interview to help people better understand Lewy body dementia and what it means for those who already fear the rapidly rising rates of Alzheimer’s and dementia in the United States.
“Lewy bodies are alpha synuclein proteins found in the cortical areas of the brain,” she explained. They herald a progressive kind of dementia that can, in the long run, prove more severe. But while the specific pathology differs from other forms of dementia, the initial symptoms can be remarkably similar. They include:
- Hallucinations
- Poor regulation of bodily functions
- Memory problems
- Changes in attention and alertness that come and go
- Daytime sleepiness
- Motor tics
- Cognitive problems
- Depression
Most of those symptoms are general in nature and can be attributed to a wide range of other conditions. Patients suffering from Lewy body dementia are frequently misdiagnosed with other illnesses first, commonly including:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Clinical depression
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Other forms of dementia
- Old age
“There’s not a blood test or a scan,” Dr. Bentle says. But it’s not a rare disease. KERA News in Texas, the public broadcasting network that first carried Dr. Bentle’s interview, reports that an estimated 1.3 million people already suffer from Lewy body dementia, though many of them may still be misdiagnosed.
Robin Williams’ tragic story is yet another reminder about America’s growing dementia problem and its far-reaching implications, which include – among other things — mental health.
It is imperative that we all take the threat of dementia seriously and make plans within our own households to be prepared for whatever might come down the road.
If someone in your family is experiencing the signs and symptoms of Lewy body dementia, you should inquire about the possibility of that diagnosis with your doctor as soon as possible. While there is no cure, treatments are available to manage and (in some cases) slow the disease’s progression.
If you haven’t yet been affected by dementia but want to make sure that you have a plan in place in case you or your loved ones ever do, our office can help. Call the Middlesex County advance planning attorneys at O’Connell Law LLC today.
