2018 Volume 77 Issue 2 Pages 69-76
It is assumed that in this aging society, the number of patients with an uncertain diagnosis will increase. Among them, there will be some patients with undiagnosed dementia. Dementia with Lewy bodies is one of the most common types. The early diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies is usually difficult even by a specialist such as a neurologist. These patients sometimes suffer from repeated sudden falls and orthostatic dizziness, and may visit a department of otolaryngology. There were 3 dementia cases with Lewy bodies among 1048 patients with chronic dizziness, who were admitted for the treatment of their intractable symptoms. They had been suffering from their dizzy symptoms and tendency to fall for more than 2 years, until they were finally diagnosed as having dementia with Lewy bodies. All patients had visited physicians and had been examined in the past, but without any specific diagnosis. All patients took part in intensive inpatient vestibular rehabilitation program in our department, but no clinical improvement was obtained. After that, the patients were again referred to their physicians and finally the diagnosis of dementia was obtained.
