Abstract Details

To identify the frequency and severity of self-reported comorbidities among informal, family LBD caregivers.

National online survey of self-identified informal family caregivers of individuals with LBD, launched from November 2020-April 2021, assessing demographic characteristics and self-reported physical and mental health comorbidities using the validated Self-Administered Comorbidity Questionnaire. In exploratory analyses, we compared the frequency of individual comorbidities among former vs. current LBD caregivers. 

Among 217 LBD caregivers, of whom 84.3% were female, 93.1% white, 3.2% Hispanic/Latinx, 83.9% were actively caring for a loved one with LBD and 16.1% were former caregivers. In the entire cohort, the most frequent comorbidities were: hypertension (38.2%), depression (35.0%), back pain (34.1%), and arthritis (33.7%). LBD caregivers had a median of 2 comorbidities each (interquartile range 1-4). There was a significant difference in prevalence of osteoarthritis or degenerative arthritis among former caregivers (48.6%) vs. current caregivers (29.1%, p = 0.02). Former caregivers were also more likely to report a cancer diagnosis (11.4% vs. 4.4%), although this did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.095). 

LBD caregivers report a high prevalence of both physical and psychiatric comorbidities. Given the higher risk of strain, burden, and adverse health outcomes in this population associated with caring for a loved one with LBD, the addition of the caregivers’ own physical and mental comorbidities highlights the critical need for resources and interventions to support both the PLWD and caregiver. Understanding the comorbidities of the caregivers themselves will be critical in designing effective, caregiver-focused interventions to improve the lives of individuals affected by LBD.