As of 2021, no cure is known for<unk> . The prognosis for<unk>  has not been well studied; early studies had methodological limitations, such as small sample size and selection bias. Relative to AD and other dementias,<unk>  generally leads to higher rates of disability, hospitalization and institutionalization, and lower life expectancy and quality of life, with increased costs of care. Depression, apathy, and visual hallucinations contribute to the reduced quality of life. Decline may be more rapid when the APOE gene is present, or when AD—or its biomarkers—is also present. The severity of orthostatic hypotension also predicts a worse prognosis. Visuospatial deficits early in the course of<unk>  were thought to be a predictor of rapid decline, but more recent studies did not find an association. The trajectory of cognitive decline in<unk>  is difficult to establish because of the high rate of missed diagnoses; the typical delay of a year in the US, and 1.2 years in the UK, for diagnosis of<unk>  mean that a baseline from which deterioration can be measured is often absent. Compared to AD, which is better studied, memory is thought to be retained longer, while verbal fluency may be lost faster, but the most common tools used to assess cognition may miss the most common cognitive deficits in<unk> , and better studies are needed. There are more neuropsychiatric symptoms in<unk>  than AD, and they may emerge earlier, so those with<unk>  may have a less favorable prognosis, with more rapid cognitive decline, more admissions to residential care, and a lower life expectancy. An increased rate of hospitalization compared to AD is most commonly related to hallucinations and confusion, followed by falls and infection. Life expectancy is difficult to predict, and limited study data are available. Survival may be defined from the point of disease onset, or from the point of diagnosis. There is wide variability in survival times, and as<unk>  may be rapidly or slowly progressing. A 2019 meta-analysis found an average survival time after diagnosis of 4.1 years—indicating survival in<unk>  1.6 years less than after a diagnosis of Alzheimer's. A 2017 review found survival from disease onset between 5.5 and 7.7 years, and survival from diagnosis between 1.9 and 6.3 years. The difference in survival between AD and<unk>  could be because<unk>  is harder to diagnose, and may be diagnosed later in the course of the disease. An online survey with 658 respondents found that, after diagnosis, more than 10% died within a year, 10% lived more than 7 years, and some live more than 10 years; some people with<unk>  body dementias live for 20 years. Shorter life expectancy is more likely when visual hallucinations, abnormal gait, and variable cognition are present early on. Fear and anxiety feature strongly for both people with<unk>  body dementia and their caregivers; a range of emotional responses to living with<unk><unk>  includes fear of hallucinations, fear of falls and frightening nightmares as a result of RBD, and being scared of the effects of tiredness and fatigue. The symptoms of fluctuations, depression, delirium and violence are also experienced as frightening. An immense amount of physical support from friends and family is often required to maintain social and supporting relationships. Individuals with<unk>  body dementias describe feeling a burden in the wider social context, as they reduce attending social events due to their increasing physical needs. Frequently reported burden dimensions include personal strain and interference with personal life, which can lead to relationship dissatisfaction and resentment. In the late part of the disease, people may be unable to care for themselves. Falls—caused by many factors including parkinsonism, dysautonomia, and frailness—increase morbidity and mortality. Failure to thrive and aspiration pneumonia, a complication of dysphagia (difficulty swallowiing) that results from dysautonomia, commonly cause death among people with the<unk>  body dementias. Cardiovascular disease and sepsis are also common causes of death.
Dementia with Lewy bodies
Parkinson's disease
Multiple system atrophy
Lewy body dementias
Subcortical dementia
Parkinson's disease dementia
Frontotemporal dementia
Vascular dementia