Incidence and prevalence of Lewy body dementia in India: A systematic review

Abstract

With increasing life expectancy in India, the prevalence of age-related disorders, such as dementia has also increased. Health and social care resources for each state are allocated based on their inhabitants’ age, sex, education, and urban/rural status but not on the dementia subtype, which can significantly influence prognosis, healthcare utilization, and quality of life. Herein, we aimed to systematically review studies investigating the prevalence of the Lewy body dementia (LBD) subtype in India. We conducted a systematic review of EMBASE, MEDLINE, and APA PsychINFO databases on June 22, 2023. Two independent reviewers performed screening and full-text review, with a third reviewer resolving any disputes. Quality was assessed for each extracted paper. Of 1372 identified studies, full-text reviews were conducted on 399 and data were extracted from 4. Two studies included prevalence data on dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), one on Parkinson’s disease dementia and one on LBD. DLB or LBD has been reported to represent 1.0 – 8.9% of dementia diagnoses. Methodological heterogeneity was characterized by study design, access to biomarkers, diagnostic criteria, and use of cognitive tools. No studies reported incidence data. A paucity of research on LBD epidemiology in India is compounded by methodological heterogeneity, poorly representative cohorts, and varying access to biomarkers. Consensus guidelines may support data harmonization and the creation of multisite consortia, which could redress the under-representation of Central Asian data in epidemiological and genetic LBD studies.