Dementia with Lewy Body and Parkinson's Disease Patients

Patient, Family, and Clinician Working Together for Better Outcomes

Dr. J. Eric Ahlskog, MD, PhD

No Parkinson's disease book has before addressed the challenges of related dementia
As clinicians spend less time with patients, the lay public now has a resource on dementia for its own information.
Dr. Ahlskog, a clinician and researcher at Mayo Clinic, is an expert in Parkinson's and Dementia with Lewy Bodies.
It is crucial for the patient-family-caregiver team to be armed with knowledge, especially of drugs to use and drugs to avoid.

Dementia with Lewy Body and Parkinson's Disease Patients

Patient, Family, and Clinician Working Together for Better Outcomes

Dr. J. Eric Ahlskog, MD, PhD

Description

Dementia implies impaired thinking and memory. It develops in the majority of people with Parkinson's disease if they live long enough. A closely related condition is Dementia with Lewy Bodies, which is the second leading cause of dementia (behind Alzheimer' disease). These are all too common disorders, yet little is written for the lay public about such dementia. This book is designed to fill that void, and especially to provide guidelines for treatment. A cure does not yet exist, but optimal medical treatment can markedly improve quality of life, for both patients and family.

Treating these conditions can become complicated, given the variety of available drugs, plus the unintended side effects of some medications. Busy clinicians are increasingly challenged by time constraints, which is another complicating factor. Hence, patients, family, caregivers need to be armed with facts, which will help their clinicians choose the best drugs and avoid those most likely to cause other problems. Drugs, doses, medications to avoid and why, are all discussed in detail. This book is designed to provide the patient-family team with the knowledge necessary to partner with their doctors to get the best medical treatment.

Dr. Ahlskog is an expert in Parkinson's disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies, thanks to his clinical and research work at Mayo Clinic. His previous general-audience title, "The Parkinson's Disease Treatment Book" has sold over 11,000 copies.

Dementia with Lewy Body and Parkinson's Disease Patients

Patient, Family, and Clinician Working Together for Better Outcomes

Dr. J. Eric Ahlskog, MD, PhD

Preface
Glossary
Chapter 1. Background
Chapter 2. What is known about the cause
Chapter 3. Are there medications for slowing the progression?
Chapter 4. Defining the problems that require individualized treatment
Treatment Chapters
Levodopa-responsive problems
.
Chapter 5. Which drug for Parkinsonism? Walking, stiffness, tremor, slowness
Chapter 6. Using carbidopa/levodopa to treat parkinsonism
Chapter 7. Parkinsonism treatment among those already on medications
Chapter 8. Unstable responses and dyskinesias: later motor problems
Chapter 9. Other levodopa-responsive problems: anxiety, pain, insomnia
Problems exacerbated by Parkinson medications
Chapter 10. Hallucinations, delusions
Chapter 11. Pathological behaviors provoked by dopamine agonist drugs: gambling, sex, eating, spending
Cognitive problems
Chapter 12. Confusion, impaired thinking, judgment
Dysautonomia: blood pressure, bladder, bowels
Chapter 13. Blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension: faints, near-faints and lightheadedness
Chapter 14. Bladder problems
Chapter 15. Bowels and constipation
Other sleep problems
Chapter 16. Daytime drowsiness
Chapter 17. Acting out dreams: REM sleep behavior disorder
More general issues
Chapter 18. Depression
Chapter 19. General medical issues
Chapter 20. Importance of regular exercise
Chapter 21. Hospitalization and nursing facilities: Keeping everyone on the same page
Chapter 22. Families, caregivers, assistance

Dementia with Lewy Body and Parkinson's Disease Patients

Patient, Family, and Clinician Working Together for Better Outcomes

Dr. J. Eric Ahlskog, MD, PhD

Author Information

Dr. J. Eric Ahlskog, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Department of Neurology

Dr. Ahlskog is Professor of Neurology, Mayo Medical School and Chair of the Mayo Clinic Section of Movement Disorders, Rochester, Minnesota. He is a full-time clinician with most of his Mayo practice devoted to Lewy body disorders, including Parkinson's disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies. He has published over 200 manuscripts in peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals and authored two books.