Abstract
Less time-consuming, easy-to-apply and more reliable cognitive screening tests are essential for use in primary care. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of the Turkish version of the Rapid Cognitive Screen (RCS-T) and Triple Test individually and the combination of RCS-T with each sign and Triple Test to screen elderly patients for cognitive impairment (CI). A total of 357 outpatients aged 60 or older, who underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment, were included in the study. Presence or absence of attended alone sign (AAS), head-turning sign, and applause sign was investigated. The mean age of the patients was 74.29 ± 7.46. Of those, 61 patients (28 men, 33 women) had Alzheimer’s disease (AD), 59 patients had mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (29 men, 30 women), and 237 (80 men, 157 women) were cognitively robust. The sensitivity of the combination of RCS-T and negative for AAS for CI, AD and MCI is 0.79, 0.86 and 0.61, respectively; the specificity was 0.92, 0.93 and 0.92, respectively; and the positive and negative predictive values revealed good diagnostic accuracy. The combination of RCS-T and negative for AAS is a simple, effective and rapid way to identify possible CI in older adults.
Highlights
Memory complaints, which should be distinguished from cognitive impairments (CI) related to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), are quite prevalent among older adults [1,2]
There was a significant difference among AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and controls in terms of gender and age; there were more female participants in controls (p < 0.05) and older patients in AD group (p < 0.001)
There was no difference in the patients with MCI, AD, and controls with regards to total years of education or educational level of the participants
Summary
Memory complaints, which should be distinguished from cognitive impairments (CI) related to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), are quite prevalent among older adults [1,2]. Less time-consuming, easy-to-apply and more reliable cognitive screening tests (which are essential to accurately diagnose patients with CI, especially for primary care settings) may help primary care professionals determine whether it is necessary to refer a patient to a tertiary care or a memory center for cognitive diseases [4]. The Rapid Cognitive Screen (RCS) is a brief screening tool derived from the Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS) examination for the detection of cognitive dysfunction in primary care settings [6] and the Turkish version of the RCS (RCS-T) is validated in Turkish older adults [7]. Inclusion of some clinical signs of neurodegenerative diseases leading to dementia, such as the attended alone sign (AAS) [8], Diagnostics 2019, 9, 97; doi:10.3390/diagnostics9030097 www.mdpi.com/journal/diagnostics
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