Patrick Stewart Dies at 86 After Brief Dementia Battle, Highlighting Rare Fast-Progressing Cases
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 31
Patrick Stewart Dies at 86 After Brief Dementia Battle, Highlighting Rare Fast-Progressing Cases
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 31
Summary
Patrick Stewart died Wednesday at 86 after what his family called a brief course of Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia, a timeline that surprised many who associate dementia with years-long decline.
Less than 5% of dementia cases are rapidly progressive, neurologist Sami Barmada said, and Lewy body dementia can sometimes worsen over weeks or months after symptoms stay hidden until late stages.
More than 1 million Americans are thought to have Lewy body dementia, which can bring fluctuating attention, visual hallucinations, REM sleep behavior disorder and Parkinson’s-like stiffness or falls.
Doctors can miss the condition until advanced stages or even after death, advocates said, and the Lewy Body Dementia Association stressed that accurate diagnosis is critical because some antipsychotics can sharply worsen symptoms.
Stewart, best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, had said only months ago he could not imagine retiring, underscoring how dementia can remain masked until decline accelerates.