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

Christoph Mueller; Pinar Soysal; Arvid Rongve; Ahmet Turan Isik; Trevor Thompson; Stefania Maggi; Lee Smith; Cristina Basso; Robert Stewart; Clive Ballard; John T O'Brien; Dag Aarsland; Brendon Stubbs; Nicola Veronese

doi:10.1016/j.arr.2019.01.005

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 Mar:50:72-80. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2019.01.005. Epub 2019 Jan 6.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. Electronic address: christoph.mueller@kcl.ac.uk.
² King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK; Department of Geriatric Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
³ University of Bergen, Department of Clinical Medicine, Bergen, Norway; Department of Research and Innovation, Haugesund Hospital, Helse Fonna HF, Haugesund, Norway.
⁴ Unit for Aging Brain and Dementia, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey.
⁵ Faculty of Education and Health, University of Greenwich, London, UK.
⁶ National Research Council, Neuroscience Institute, Aging Branch, Padova, Italy.
⁷ The Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.
⁸ Azienda Zero, Veneto Region, Venice, Italy.
⁹ King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
¹⁰ King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK; University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK.
¹¹ Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
¹² King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK; Centre for Age-Related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
¹³ National Research Council, Neuroscience Institute, Aging Branch, Padova, Italy; Azienda Zero, Veneto Region, Venice, Italy.

PMID: 30625375
DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2019.01.005

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Dementia; Lewy bodies; Mortality.

Publication types

Comparative Study
Meta-Analysis
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Aged
Alzheimer Disease / diagnosis*
Alzheimer Disease / mortality*
Female
Humans
Lewy Body Disease / diagnosis*
Lewy Body Disease / mortality*
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Observational Studies as Topic / methods
Survival Rate / trends

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding