Abstract
Population-based prevalence and incidence studies are essential for understanding the societal burden of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched to identify publications addressing the incidence and/or prevalence of DLB. References of included articles and prior systematic reviews were searched for additional studies. Two reviewers screened all abstracts and full-text reviews, abstracted data and performed quality assessments. Twenty-two studies were included. Incidence rates ranged from 0.5 to 1.6 per 1000 person-years. DLB accounted for 3.2-7.1% of all dementia cases in the incidence studies. Point and period prevalence estimates ranged from 0.02 to 63.5 per 1000 persons. Increasing prevalence estimates were reported with increasing age. DLB accounted for from 0.3 to 24.4% of all cases of dementia in the prevalence studies. DLB becomes more common with increasing age and accounts for about 5% of all dementia cases in older populations.
Highlights
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is one of the commonest neurodegenerative dementias encountered in older patients.[1]While recent clinic-based studies suggest that it accounts for up to 20% of all dementia cases,[1,2,3,4,5] this may represent an overestimate because of selection or referral bias.[6]
We report on a systematic review of population-based prevalence and/or incidence studies of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)
The MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched using terms and approaches developed by the authors in consultation with an academic librarian to identify publications dealing with the incidence and/or prevalence of dementia and the commoner dementia aetiologies in middle-aged and older adults (i.e., Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, DLB)
Summary
While recent clinic-based studies suggest that it accounts for up to 20% of all dementia cases,[1,2,3,4,5] this may represent an overestimate because of selection or referral bias.[6] Population-based estimates of attributable risk derived from autopsy studies suggest that Lewy body disease accounts for 3 to 10% of the burden of dementia in older populations.[7,8]. Population-based prevalence and incidence studies are essential for understanding the societal burden of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). DLB accounted for 3.2-7.1% of all dementia cases in the incidence studies. DLB accounted for from 0.3 to 24.4% of all cases of dementia in the prevalence studies. Conclusions: DLB becomes more common with increasing age and accounts for about 5% of all dementia cases in older populations
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