IDIOPATHIC CLOUDING OF CONSCIOUSNESS - DO THE PATIENTS HAVE CORTICAL LEWY BODY DISEASE

Sixteen out of 58 patients assessed at a day hospital for probable dem entia fulfilled the study definition for idiopathic clouding of consci ousness. These patients were significantly more likely than other pati ents in the sample to have visual hallucinations, depression, extrapyr amidal symptoms and to experience falls. They hence had the same sympt om profile as patients described as having cortical Lewy body dementia , an observation supported by the fact that 14 of the 16 fulfilled McK eith's criteria for the aforementioned condition. Fifty per cent of th e patients with idiopathic clouding of consciousness had a family hist ory of Parkinson's disease. The implications of the findings are discu ssed.