Patients with LBD at risk of misdiagnosis
Lewy body dementia refers to a particular kind of dementia that has three possible initial presentations. New Yorkers who have LBD are sometimes misdiagnosed as having Alzheimer’s because the two conditions have some of the same symptoms. This can be harmful to people with LBD because they may respond positively to some dementia medications that are less likely to be prescribed if they are erroneously diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and because people with LBD may respond negatively to some Alzheimer’s drugs, sometimes with lasting side effects.