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‘Simple test’ improves dementia prediction rates

Among patients with declining Mini-Mental State Examination scores, administration of the Visual Association Test may help identify those at higher risk for dementia, according to findings that were just published in Annals of Family Medicine.

“There have been no studies analyzing the additional value of the [Visual Association Test] after performing the [Mini-Mental State Examination], even though the [Mini-Mental State Examination] seems unreliable in predicting and detecting (early) dementia,” Susan Jongstra, MD, PhD, of the department of neurology at the Academic Medical Center at the University of the Amsterdam and colleagues wrote.

“The [Visual Association Test] was developed specifically for this purpose, and it has a higher specificity and positive predictive value for detecting dementia when compared with other cognitive tests,” they added.

Researchers assessed the change in Mini-Mental State Examination in 2,690 patients (mean age, 73.7 years) during a 2-year period and Visual Association Test score at 2 years. The mean follow-up period was 6.7 years.

Jongstra and colleagues found that patients with Mini-Mental State Examination score that declined by two points or more over a 2-year period had a greater risk for dementia (OR = 3.55; 95% CI, 2.51-5). Patients with the same decline in that score, along with an imperfect Visual Association Test score, had even greater risk for dementia (OR = 9.55; 95% CI, 5.89-15.41). However, a one-point decline in Mini-Mental State Examination score increased odds for dementia only when the VAT score was imperfect.

Among patients with declining Mini-Mental State Examination scores, administration of the Visual Association Test may help identify those at higher risk for dementia, according to findings that were just published in Annals of Family Medicine.

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“Our findings show that the [Visual Association Test] score has incremental value in discriminating between older adults with and without increased risk of dementia, especially among those with a (minor) decline in [Mini-Mental State Examination] score,” Jongstra and colleagues wrote.

“This simple test may help distinguish older adults who need further cognitive examination from those in whom a watchful waiting policy is justified,” they added. – by Janel Miller

Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.