Validity of family history for the diagnosis of dementia among siblings of patients with late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
We examined 180 siblings of 127 probands with probable or possible Alzheimer's dementia (AD) in a family study of AD. The overall sensitivity of a simple family history questionnaire was 64% and the specificity was 84%. Sensitivity improved 90-100% with minimal decline in specificity when we considered clinic-based vs. population survey patients. Higher education among informants and the availability of a spouse or a sibling as informant significantly increased sensitivity. Awareness of such factors may improve the yield of the family history in AD using a simple questionnaire.
Devi
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G
Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Division of Epidemiology, Columbia University School of Public Health, New York, New York 10032, USA. devigay@sergievsky.cpmc.columbia.edu
Marder
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K
Schofield
P W
PW
Tang
M X
MX
Stern
Y
Y
Mayeux
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R
D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005820:Genetic Testing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires