Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Aug;33(4):433-442.
doi: 10.1007/s10286-023-00962-w. Epub 2023 Jul 5.

Exploring the prevalence of undetected bradyarrhythmia in dementia with Lewy bodies

Isak Heyman  1 , Torbjörn Persson  2 , Mattias Haglund  3 , Elisabet Londos  4   5
Affiliations

Exploring the prevalence of undetected bradyarrhythmia in dementia with Lewy bodies

Isak Heyman et al. Clin Auton Res. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Purpose: To explore the prevalence of undetected bradyarrhythmia in a cohort of people with dementia with Lewy bodies.

Methods: Thirty participants diagnosed with dementia with Lewy bodies were enrolled from three memory clinics in southern Sweden between May 2021 and November 2022. None had a history of high-grade atrioventricular block or sick sinus syndrome. Each participant underwent orthostatic testing, cardiac [123I]metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy and 24-h ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring. Concluding bradyarrhythmia diagnosis was obtained until the end of December 2022.

Results: Thirteen participants (46.4%) had bradycardia at rest during orthostatic testing and four had an average heart rate < 60 beats per minute during ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring. Three participants (10.7%) received a diagnosis of sick sinus syndrome, of whom two received pacemaker implants to manage associated symptoms. None received a diagnosis of second- or third-degree atrioventricular block.

Conclusion: This report showed a high prevalence of sick sinus syndrome in a clinical cohort of people with dementia with Lewy bodies. Further research on the causes and consequences of sick sinus syndrome in dementia with Lewy bodies is thus warranted.

Keywords: Ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring; Bradyarrhythmia; Dementia with Lewy bodies; Sick sinus syndrome.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Association between average heart rate during the inclusion ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring and heart rate after 10 min of resting. Solid symbols represent participants with subsequent sick sinus syndrome. bpm Beats per min
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Savica R, Boeve BF, Mielke MM. When do α-synucleinopathies start? An epidemiological timeline: a review. JAMA Neurol. 2018;75(4):503–509. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2017.4243. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Vann Jones SA, O'Brien JT. The prevalence and incidence of dementia with Lewy bodies: a systematic review of population and clinical studies. Psychol Med. 2014;44(4):673–683. doi: 10.1017/s0033291713000494. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Orimo S, Ghebremedhin E, Gelpi E. Peripheral and central autonomic nervous system: does the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system bear the brunt of the pathology during the course of sporadic PD? Cell Tissue Res. 2018;373(1):267–286. doi: 10.1007/s00441-018-2851-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Javanshiri K, Drakenberg T, Haglund M, Englund E. Cardiac alpha-synuclein is present in alpha-synucleinopathies. J Parkinsons Dis. 2022;12(4):1125–1131. doi: 10.3233/jpd-223161. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gelpi E, Navarro-Otano J, Tolosa E, Gaig C, Compta Y, Rey MJ, Martí MJ, Hernández I, Valldeoriola F, Reñé R, Ribalta T. Multiple organ involvement by alpha-synuclein pathology in Lewy body disorders. Mov Disord. 2014;29(8):1010–1018. doi: 10.1002/mds.25776. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms