title: Codex (cognitive disorders examination) for the detection of dementia and mild cognitive impairment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dementia is a major public health problem. Rapid and simple tests, easy to use for screening of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), are required.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the utility of Codex (cognitive disorders examination), a decision tree, for the detection of dementia and MCI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Codex was administered to 105 consecutive patients attending a memory clinic over a six month period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study showed good sensitivity (0.81) and specificity (0.81) for Codex in identifying patients with dementia. The sensitivity and specificity were 0.68 and 0.90 respectively for the detection of MCI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Codex is a simple, quick and reliable test for the detection of dementia, but it is not sufficiently sensitive for the detection of MCI.
authors.affiliation: Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Cognitive Function Clinic, Liverpool, L9 7LJ, United Kingdom. Electronic address: a.larner@thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Larner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity