What Is Lewy Body?
5. Causes
No one knows the exact cause of the buildup of Lewy bodies. Despite a few cases of multiple family members having the condition, geneticists do not consider LBD to be an inherited condition. Certain genotypes of three genes are more common in LBD patients, and researchers are looking for relationships between these genes and the disease.
Several studies have revealed that the agricultural pesticides paraquat and maneb change the brain in ways similar to the way Lewy bodies do. Exposure to these chemicals, even at low levels, can cause a person with a pre-existing mutation in certain genes to have an increased risk of LBD symptoms.
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