Lewy body disease is one of the most common causes of dementia, yet many people have never heard of it. It is linked to serious conditions such as Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease, which affect memory, thinking, movement, sleep, and behavior.
People with this disease may experience confusion, slow movement, stiff muscles, vivid dreams, and changes in mood. Because its symptoms can look similar to other brain disorders, it has often been difficult for doctors to diagnose it accurately.
For many years, the only way to be certain that someone had Lewy body disease was to examine the brain after death. Doctors would look for clumps of a harmful protein called alpha-synuclein that form structures known as Lewy bodies.
These clumps damage brain cells and interfere with normal brain function. Without a reliable test for living patients, many people were misdiagnosed or diagnosed only after symptoms had already become severe.
Now, researchers from Lund University in Sweden have made an important discovery that could change this situation. They have developed a method to detect signs of the disease in people who are still alive by testing the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
This fluid, known as cerebrospinal fluid, can reveal changes happening inside the brain long before symptoms appear.
In their study, scientists examined more than 1,100 older adults who had no noticeable problems with memory or movement. Surprisingly, nearly one in ten of these people already showed signs of Lewy body disease in their brain fluid.
This suggests that the disease may begin many years before people realize anything is wrong. Detecting it early could give doctors a chance to monitor patients closely and start treatments sooner, possibly slowing the disease’s progress.
The researchers also noticed an early warning sign that is simple but easy to overlook: a reduced sense of smell. People who tested positive for the disease were more likely to have trouble identifying odors, even though they felt healthy otherwise.
Loss of smell has long been associated with Parkinson’s disease, but this study shows it may also signal early Lewy body disease. Because smell tests are easy and inexpensive, scientists believe they could be used as a first screening step for older adults.
Early diagnosis is especially important because new treatments are being developed to target the disease before severe brain damage occurs.
If doctors can identify patients in the early stages, these therapies may have a better chance of working. In addition, knowing about the disease early allows patients and families to plan for the future and make lifestyle changes that support brain health.
The study also found that some individuals with Lewy body disease showed signs of Alzheimer’s disease at the same time. This overlap may explain why symptoms vary widely from person to person. Understanding how these conditions interact could help doctors predict how quickly the disease might progress and what kind of care a patient will need.
Scientists hope that one day a simple blood test will be able to detect Lewy body disease, but this remains challenging because the harmful proteins are much harder to measure in blood than in brain fluid. Even so, this new testing method marks a major step forward in understanding and diagnosing the disease.
This discovery offers hope to millions of people at risk of dementia. It shows that diseases once thought impossible to detect early may soon be identified years before symptoms appear. As research continues, early detection could lead to better treatments, improved quality of life, and possibly even prevention of some forms of dementia.
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