Intrinsic capacity (IC), the composite of all the physical and mental capacities of an individual, has never been studied in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). As IC decline is associated with the risk of frailty, functional decline and disability and is potentially reversible after targeted interventions, a monitoring and specific management of IC decline in patients with DLB could promote healthy aging in this population. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe the frequency of IC decline in DLB and to compare it with AD.

A single-center cross-sectional study.

This study was carried out in a memory clinic between 2015 and 2023 based on the MEMORA cohort.

Patients with a diagnosis of AD or probable DLB and a comprehensive geriatric assessment.

IC was assessed according to the WHO model in 4 domains: vitality assessed by the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), locomotion assessed by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), psychology assessed by the Geriatric Depression Scale 4-items (GDS-4 items), and hearing assessed by the Hearing, Vision, Equilibrium and Cognition (HVEC) scale.

A total of 798 patients (154 with probable DLB and 644 with AD) were included, and the mean age was 81.4 years (SD 6.33). Compared with AD patients, DLB patients had significantly more impaired IC in all domains, with greater risks of impaired vitality (odds ratio (OR) 2.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.60–3.72), locomotion (OR 3.50, 95% CI 2.15–5.90), psychology (OR 2.60, 95% CI 1.73–3.92) and hearing (OR 2.30, 95% CI 1.53–3.49), according to the adjusted models. Similarly, when IC domains were considered linear variables, IC across all domains was significantly lower in the DLB group than in the AD group.

This study revealed that DLB patients presented a greater decrease in IC than did AD patients across all domains. In memory clinics, DLB patients could be offered systematic and early IC monitoring and personalized interventions.