P624 - PARKINSONISM IN DEMENTIA WITH LEWY BODIES (ID 536)
Abstract
Aims
This study aimed to add to previous knowledge by describing the natural course of parkinsonism in autopsy-verified patients. More information is needed for future refinement of the parkinsonism core feature of DLB.
Methods
The Dementia Study of Western Norway included patients with mild dementia who were followed annually from diagnosis until death. Patients with a neuropathologically verified diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (n=31) or DLB (n=16) were included in this substudy. Parkinsonism was assessed with the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor subscale at inclusion and repeated at each assessment. 15 DLB and 27 AD patients had at least two available scores. The Mann-Whitney and the Chi-square test were used.
Results
UPDRS motor scores were higher in DLB than AD at diagnosis (p=0.001) and the first (p<0.001), but not second follow-up (p=0.081). More AD than DLB patients had consistently low UPDRS motor scores; 19 (77%) and 16 (60%) of AD patients and 5 (33%) and 4 (27%) of DLB patients never reached a score of 10 and 5 respectively. The number of missing UPDRS scores increased over time. Individuals with missing UPDRS scores at follow-up had more severe dementia (higher Clinical Dementia Rating scale global scores).
Conclusions
DLB-patients with mild dementia have significantly more parkinsonism than their AD counterparts, but a significant proportion of DLB patients did not develop parkinsonism the first years after diagnosis. The UPDRS motor subscale is probably not an ideal instrument in moderate- to severe dementia.
