Frequency, Severity, and Duration of Autonomic Symptoms in Patients of Prodromal Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

BACKGROUND

Autonomic dysfunction is supportive clinical feature for diagnosis of prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

OBJECTIVE

To compare the features of autonomic symptoms in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Lewy bodies (MCI-LB) and Alzheimer's disease (MCI-AD).

METHODS

Autonomic symptoms were evaluated in the MCI-LB and MCI-AD patients using the Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's disease for autonomic symptoms (SCOPA-AUT).

RESULTS

Thirty patients with MCI-LB and 90 patients with MCI-AD were recruited. The frequency of autonomic dysfunction was higher in patients with MCI-LB compared to the MCI-AD patients (80% versus 54.4%, p = 0.013) and the gastrointestinal symptoms were predominant (73.3% versus 35.6%, p < 0.001). Salivation, constipation, incontinence, incomplete emptying, lightheadedness when standing up or standing for some times, diurnal or nocturnal hyperhidrosis, and sexual dysfunction were more severe and protracted in the MCI-LB group compared to the MCI-AD group.

CONCLUSION

The MCI-LB patients showed higher frequency and severity, as well as longer duration of autonomic symptoms compared to the MCI-AD group. These symptoms can facilitate early diagnosis of patients with DLB.