Frequency, Severity, and Duration of Autonomic Symptoms in Patients of Prodromal Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

Background: Autonomic dysfunction is supportive clinical feature for diagnosis of prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

Objective: To compare the features of autonomic symptoms in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Lewy bodies (MCI-LB) and Alzheimer's disease (MCI-AD).

Methods: Autonomic symptoms were evaluated in the MCI-LB and MCI-AD patients using the Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's disease for autonomic symptoms (SCOPA-AUT).

Results: Thirty patients with MCI-LB and 90 patients with MCI-AD were recruited. The frequency of autonomic dysfunction was higher in patients with MCI-LB compared to the MCI-AD patients (80% versus 54.4%, p = 0.013) and the gastrointestinal symptoms were predominant (73.3% versus 35.6%, p < 0.001). Salivation, constipation, incontinence, incomplete emptying, lightheadedness when standing up or standing for some times, diurnal or nocturnal hyperhidrosis, and sexual dysfunction were more severe and protracted in the MCI-LB group compared to the MCI-AD group.

Conclusion: The MCI-LB patients showed higher frequency and severity, as well as longer duration of autonomic symptoms compared to the MCI-AD group. These symptoms can facilitate early diagnosis of patients with DLB.