Ted Turner, the cable mogul and philanthropist who died Wednesday at 87, spent the final years of his life living with Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder he publicly disclosed in a 2018 interview with CBS News. At that time, Turner said his main symptoms were fatigue and forgetfulness. Turner’s family did not disclose the cause of his death.
About Lewy Body Dementia
Lewy body dementia is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, affecting roughly 1.4 million people in the United States. The condition causes many of the physical symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease, including tremors, muscle rigidity, and loss of body functions such as bladder control. Lewy body dementia also may cause visual hallucinations, as well as memory and cognitive issues and mood instability.
Additional symptoms include sleep issues, specifically rapid eye movement sleep disorder that causes people to act out their dreams, drowsiness and long naps, disordered speech, depression, and apathy. Symptoms worsen over time. The condition is sometimes confused with Parkinson’s disease, mental health disorders, and other medical issues, which can delay proper diagnosis.
Disease Mechanisms and Diagnosis
Abnormal protein deposits in the brain called Lewy bodies have been linked to the disease, but its exact causes remain unknown. No genetic markers have been identified for Lewy body dementia, and most people diagnosed with it have no family history of the disease. Doctors diagnose the condition by observing the symptoms a patient exhibits. The disorder is usually diagnosed before or at the same time as the onset of Parkinson’s disease, or within one year of Parkinson’s symptoms appearing.
Risk factors include being 60 or older and having a family member with Lewy body dementia. It affects more men than women. Actor Robin Williams, who died by suicide in 2014, also had Lewy body dementia, though he was not diagnosed while alive. Autopsy results showed Williams had one of the most severe cases of the disorder ever seen in pathology results.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment or cure for Lewy body dementia. Doctors may prescribe antidepressants or cholinesterase inhibitors, medications sometimes prescribed for memory and thinking problems.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.phillyvoice.com/ted-turner-lewy-body-dementia/