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Robin Williams’ Autopsy Reveals He May Have Been Misdiagnosed With Parkinson’s Disease
Nearly a year after his tragic death, Robin Williams' autopsy has been uncovered — and the documents show the late actor might not have had Parkinson's disease.
According to a new report, the star's autopsy does confirm he died from asphyxiation after hanging himself at his California home on August 11, 2014. The papers also reveal he had been suffering from Diffuse Lewy Body dementia at the time of his death.
Robin and his wife, Susan, in April 2012.
Following his passing, Robin's wife, Susan Schneider, 50, further claimed her husband had been diagnosed with the early stages of Parkinson's disease before he committed suicide at age 63.
But the extensive neuropathologic report, obtained by Radar Online, noted the Night at the Museum actor had a “history of left upper extremity tremor, impairment of left hand movement, anxiety, depression, insomnia, paranoia and unspecified cognitive impairments.” While these symptoms do align with a Parkinson's diagnosis, they are also signs of Lewy Body dementia.
Robin in October 2013.
“Lewy Body dementia is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease, but is a unique condition,” Dr. James E. Galvin, a professor of neurology and psychiatry at NYU previously told the Lewy Body Dementia Association, according to the Radar Online report.
“These neuropathologic findings in this case support the diagnosis of diffuse Lewy Body dementia. It is important to note that patients with diffuse Lewy Body dementia frequently present with Parkinsonian motor symptoms and constellations of neuropsychiatric manifestations, including depression and hallucination," the autopsy stated.
