LEWY BODY DISEASE - CAN WE DIAGNOSE IT

The authors assessed the accuracy of published clinical criteria and t heir own modifications of those criteria and their own modifications o f those criteria in diagnosing Lewy body disease (LBD). Clinical diagn oses were made by two clinicians, blinded to neuropathologic diagnoses , using the Rochester Alzheimer's Disease Center database and traditio nal medical records. Neuropathologic diagnoses were made according to published guidelines. Results from 21 Alzheimer's disease and 18 LBD p atients indicated that no set of clinical criteria was accurate in dia gnosing LBD. The only significant predictor of LBD in this population was depression, which was more common in LBD than in Alzheimer's disea se. The authors conclude that clinical identification of LBD is an imp ortant but unresolved neurological problem.