Year: 2009
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The familial aggregation of Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to determine the risk of familial aggregation of DLB and core symptoms of DLB. We separately compared the risk of possible DLB, probable DLB, and clinical core features of DLB (fluctuations, visual hallucinations, and parkinsonism) between siblings of probands with clinically diagnosed DLB (n=344) and siblings of probands with clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease (AD, n=280) in 214 Caribbean Hispanic families with extended neurological and neuropsychological assessment. We applied General Estimating Equations (GEE) to adjust for clustering within families. In these models, age and proband status were the independent variables, and disease status of the siblings was the measure of disease risk and the dependent variable. Compared to siblings of probands with AD, siblings of probands with DLB had a higher risk of probable DLB (OR (95% CI): 2.3 (1.04-5.04)) and visual hallucinations (OR (95% CI): 2.3 (1.16-4.64)). They also had an increased risk of possible DLB (OR (95% CI): 1.5 (0.97-2.34)) and cognitive fluctuations (OR (95% CI): 1.5 (0.95-2.52)) that was close to significance. DLB and core features of DLB aggregate in families. Compared to siblings of probands with AD, siblings of probands with DLB have an increased risk of visual hallucinations and fluctuations. These findings help clarify the delineation of AD from DLB.
Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia
Institution: Columbia University
Language: English
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2082558234