Survival time and differences between dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease following diagnosis: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies

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Authors
Ballard, Clive
Journal
Ageing Research Reviews
Type
Journal Article
Publisher
Elsevier
Rights
CC0 1.0 Universal
Objective To synthesize the evidence across longitudinal studies comparing survival in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing survival in clinically diagnosed DLB to AD. Longitudinal cohort studies were identified through a systematic search of major electronic databases from inception to May 2018. A random effects meta-analysis was performed to calculate survival time and relative risk of death. Results Overall, 11 studies were identified including 22,952 patients with dementia: 2029 with DLB (mean diagnosis age 76.3; 47% female) compared with 20,923 with AD (mean diagnosis age 77.2; 65.1% female). Average survival time in DLB from diagnosis was 4.11 years (SD ± 4.10) and in AD 5.66 (SD ± 5.32) years, equating to a 1.60 (95% CI: -2.44 to -0.77) years shorter survival in DLB (p < 0.01). Relative risk of death was increased by 1.35 (95%CI: 1.17–1.55) in DLB compared to AD (p < 0.01). Differences in survival were not explained by follow-up time, age at diagnosis, gender, or cognitive score. Conclusions There is consistent evidence for higher and earlier mortality in DLB compared to AD. This is important for all stakeholders and underlines the importance of expanding research into DLB.
Citation
Mueller C, Soysal P, Rongve A, et al. Survival time and differences between dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease following diagnosis: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Ageing Res Rev. 2019;50:72-80. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2019.01.005
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