title: A method for estimating duration of illness in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: We developed a set of questions for generating an estimate regarding the date of first symptoms to the nearest half-year. Physicians then revised this estimate in conjunction with medical record review and patient/informant interviews, and by testing the estimate by recall of life events. One experienced examiner rated 36 patients, and each was independently rated by a second, less experienced rater. The physician ratings were compared to each other and to an unstructured caregiver estimate of duration using Lin concordance coefficients. There was excellent agreement between independent physician raters (rho = 0.95, p < 0.001). Caregiver estimates of duration were usually shorter because of failure to relate the first symptoms to the onset of disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. rdoody@bcm.tmc.edu
authors.forename: Rachelle Smith
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Doody
authors.forename: J Kay
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Shaheda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Azher
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kataki
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017028:Caregivers; D018450:Disease Progression; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008487:Medical History Taking