AUTHOR=Valença Alexandre M. , Studart Leal Cláudia Cristina , Oliveira Gustavo C. , de Moraes Talvane M. , Nardi Antonio E. , Mendlowicz Mauro V. 

TITLE=Case Report: Depression × dementia with Lewy bodies in the elderly: The importance of differential diagnosis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1059150

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1059150

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Background: Dementia is a clinical syndrome which is more common in elderly people. Dementia with Lewy bodies (LBD) is not so rare in elderly people, with cognitive impairment in about 30% over age 65. The clinical picture is characterized by fluctuation in cognitive functions, recurrent, well-formed, detailed visual hallucinations, and Parkinsonism, with rigidity, tremor, bradykinesia, and slurred speech.
Case Presentation: We present a case report of LBD in a 73-year-old retired teacher, whith a initial wrong diagosis of refratary Depression for at least 3 years. We also conduct a review of recent works on theme.
Conclusion: LBD diagnosis can be neglected for years, with a legal and clinical issues to patients and their families. Detailed medical research, including differential diagnosis, are very necessary on those cases, specially when they are called refratary. We encourage new research and adequate clinical training to prevent damage.