Study: Better Test, Greater Follow-Up Needed for Effective Alzheimer's Screening

A better test and greater follow-up by physicians are needed to make screenings for Alzheimer's disease more effective, according to a study reported in the August issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.

Researchers at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA, studied 659 people who were screened in 1999 with a seven-minute cognitive test known as 7MS that was developed to identify individuals with a high probability of Alzheimer's disease.

Of those tested, 110 individuals were referred for further evaluation, while 92 were identified as having a high probability of dementia and 18 others showed enough signs of impairment to warrant a second screening in six to nine months. Ultimately, only 10 individuals were newly diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease with the help of the tests.

Researcher Dr. Janet Lawrence, of McLean's Memory Clinic, said obstacles in accessing medical care and uncertainty among primary care physicians may have resulted in relatively few new cases being diagnosed.

"Of the physicians responding to our survey, more than half indicated that they planned to follow up with patients, but many did not pursue further appropriate testing," said researcher Donald A. Davidoff, director of McLean's neuropsychology department.

Lawrence said the failure to provide adequate follow-up care might indicate a lack of diagnostic resources in the community, which would be needed for an effective national screening program.

The researchers also concluded that the 7MS test has limitations even though it was the best available test at the time of the screeings.

"Before a large-scale program can be implemented, however, we need to develop more efficient and accurate screening tests and to make sure that appropriate follow-up care is available," said Lawrence. "Development of such programs will be essential to take advantage of emerging treatments."

Other sources: McLean Hospital