Initial development of the lewy body dementia – domain rating scale: a disease-specific outcome measure
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Lewy body dementia (LBD) lacks a validated, disease-specific outcome measure, limiting clinical trials and the development of disease-modifying therapies. We developed the Lewy Body Dementia–Domain Rating Scale (LBD-DRS), an LBD-specific instrument assessing symptom severity and functional impact across cognitive, neuropsychiatric, motor, autonomic and somatic, and sleep-wake domains, alongside activities of daily living and overall impact, to be completed by interviewing the patient and an informant. A three-round international Delphi process (consensus ≥ 75%) was conducted with LBD experts, and a workshop with people with LBD and carers provided complementary feedback. Response rates were 93% (R1, n = 41/44), 74% (R2, n = 35/47), and 69% (R3, n = 42/61). Consensus was reached on the need for an LBD-specific scale (98%), inclusion of the five symptom domains (95%), and the suitability of the final prototype for cognitive pretesting (93%). The LBD-DRS is, to our knowledge, the first consensus-derived, multi-domain composite measure of symptom severity and functional impact developed specifically for LBD. It is ready for cognitive pretesting and formal clinimetric evaluation.
Source: Alzheimer s Research & Therapy
Institutions: Medical University of South Carolina, The University of Sydney, Queen's University Belfast, University College London, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, University of California San Diego, Mayo Clinic, Newcastle University
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,290
OpenAlex ID: W7225320324