Prevalence, timing and characteristics of delirium preceding dementia with Lewy bodies: a retrospective case series.

Abstract

Background: Consensus diagnostic criteria for delirium-onset dementia with Lewy bodies are lacking. This retrospective study aimed to identify delirium occurring in the prodrome of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), exploring delirium-onset DLB as an entity and its natural history.

Methods: Thirty-four participants with an established diagnosis of probable DLB from an outpatient neurology clinic in Sydney underwent a structured telephone interview to identify episodes of delirium. The timing, precipitants, and phenomenology of each episode were documented. Core and supportive features from the proposed diagnostic criteria for DLB were evaluated.

Results: 26% of the participants experienced delirium prior to diagnosis of DLB, with one participant experiencing multiple episodes in the 24 months before diagnosis. Of these cases, 66% demonstrated some core and supportive features of DLB at the time of their delirium. In addition to expected triggers (e.g. surgery), international (long-haul) air flight was identified as one of the commonest precipitants for delirium in this group. Those DLB cases who fulfilled the proposed research criteria for a delirium-onset prodrome experienced a shorter time from symptom onset to dementia than those DLB patients with no history of pre-diagnosis delirium (26 vs 40 months).

Conclusions: These findings support delirium as a marker of prodromal DLB and suggest delirium-onset cases exhibit a more rapid progression to dementia, offering a focus for future studies. Identifying delirium as a potential early feature of DLB could aid in earlier recognition and improve diagnostic accuracy, particularly in individuals presenting with precipitants such as international air travel.