Patrick Stewart's Death: Lewy Body Demia Explained
The progressive condition affects thinking and movement, with an average survival of eight years after diagnosis.
By Amelia Clarke ·
Patrick Stewart has died.
The actor, best known for his roles in "Star Trek" and "X-Men," passed away Wednesday in Los Angeles at age 86. Spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak stated he was on "a brief and poignant journey" with two forms of dementia. His diagnoses were not previously made public.
Lewy body dementia is a progressive condition. Johns Hopkins Medicine describes it as affecting a person’s ability to think, reason, and process information. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services explains that abnormal clumps of protein called Lewy bodies build up inside nerve cells. These clumps inhibit nerve function and eventually kill the cells.
Symptoms often appear early in the disease course. The Mayo Clinic notes that hallucinations of people or things that are not there are among the first signs. Patients may also experience confusion, memory loss, and impaired spatial awareness. Physical symptoms include acting out dreams during REM sleep, bladder control issues, and falls caused by sudden blood pressure drops.
The condition shares biological roots with Parkinson's disease. The health department states both are caused by the same underlying changes in the brain. In Lewy body dementia, thinking problems and visual hallucinations typically develop before movement symptoms like slow movement and muscle stiffness. In Parkinson's disease dementia, movement issues usually appear first.
Approximately 1.4 million Americans live with Lewy body dementia. It is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. Risk factors include being male, being over age 60, and having relatives diagnosed with Lewy body dementia or Parkinson's disease dementia. Most diagnoses occur after age 50.
There is currently no cure for the disease. The Mayo Clinic notes that symptoms can be managed. Cholinesterase inhibitors are used to boost brain neurotransmitters, improving alertness, thinking, and memory while reducing hallucinations. Medicines used for Parkinson's disease can also target muscle rigidity and other movement disorders. On average, patients live up to eight years after diagnosis, though overall health and symptom severity influence life span.
Source: Newsday
