Screening Adults with Down's Syndrome for Early Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

McBrien, Judith; Whitwham, Sarah; Olverman, Karen; Masters, Stuart J.

doi:10.1108/13595474200500035

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 8 publications

(10 reference statements)

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“…McBrien et al (2005) provide details of how this database was developed and managed. In brief, the database provides information on all adults with Down's syndrome in the Plymouth area, identified through progression from educational establishments, from primary care or from social care facilities.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of prospective screening in the diagnosis of dementia in people with Down's syndrome

Starkey¹,

Bevins²,

Bonell

2014

Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities

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Purpose -People with Down's syndrome are at increased risk of developing early onset Alzheimer's disease. It has been recommended that all adults with Down's syndrome receive baseline neuropsychological testing for dementia. In certain areas prospective screening of people with Down's syndrome takes place to ensure the early diagnosis of the condition. However, little has been published on the value of this type of screening. The purpose of this paper is to report on a prospective screening programme and asks whether the programme is effective in identifying dementia-related changes in people with Down's syndrome and whether the current screening intervals are appropriate. Design/methodology/approach -All adults with Down's syndrome in Plymouth (UK) are identified and offered a comprehensive test battery at baseline at the age of 20 and then have testing biennially from 40 to 50 and annually after 50. All individuals diagnosed with dementia between 2001 and 2013 were identified and their case notes examined. The symptoms at the time of diagnosis were identified and whether these symptoms had been identified through the screening programme or by other routes were recorded. Prevalence data and age at diagnosis were also recorded. Findings -In total, 26 people were diagnosed with dementia during the study period. Of these, the diagnosis of dementia followed concerns being identified during the routine screening programme in 54 per cent of cases. In the younger age group (age 40-49) 63 per cent of people were identified through the screening programme. At the time of diagnosis a mean of 5.5 areas of concern were in evidence. Research limitations/implications -Limited by small sample size, however service development not original research. Implications for the use of prospective dementia screening in people with Down's syndrome. Practical implications -Implications for how services choose to run their Down's syndrome and dementia screening programmes, including the frequency of screening. Originality/value -The paper adds to a growing evidence base around the value of prospective dementia screening in people with Down's syndrome. It is also one of a few studies exploring the frequency of screening. Additionally, it adds further data about prevalence of dementia in people with Down's syndrome.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of prospective screening in the diagnosis of dementia in people with Down's syndrome

Starkey¹,

Bevins²,

Bonell

2014

Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities

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“…This includes an assessment by the Community Nursing, Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry teams. Once each case was thoroughly investigated (refer to McBrien et al. 2005 for details of protocol), and appropriate specialist assessments and medical investigations completed, a diagnosis of dementia was made if appropriate by the Consultant Psychiatrist according to the ICD‐10 diagnostic criteria (World Health Organization 1992).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2000). This research project was instigated after our own experience of assessing people referred to a prospective dementia screening programme for people with Down syndrome (for details, refer to McBrien et al. 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Should we refer for a dementia assessment? A checklist to help know when to be concerned about dementia in adults with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities

Whitwham¹,

McBrien²,

Broom³

2011

Brit J Learn Disabil

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Accessible summary• Care staff for people with learning disabilities sometimes need help to know when to ask for help when a resident has a problem with his or her memory. • We've made an easy checklist to help them know when to ask for extra help.• We hope it will speed up finding out whether people have dementia so we can offer the best help possible. • It seems to be really useful and we'd like to do more research in the future. SummaryThe aim of this research was to develop a simple screening checklist to help carers and professionals know when to make a referral for a dementia assessment. A checklist was completed for all new referrals to a dementia service for people with intellectual disabilities. The obtained scores were compared to the diagnostic outcome of a comprehensive dementia assessment. The data (n = 159) indicate a higher score on the checklist correlates significantly with a subsequent diagnosis of dementia. Cut-off scores are explored. The checklist appears to be a useful tool to prompt referrals for a full dementia assessment. By helping the referrer to know when to be concerned about dementia, it may reduce the number of people referred late or not at all.

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“…Journal of Research in Nursing 13 3The work of the group proved to be an interesting blend of practice and research. In terms of practice, a prospective screening programme for all adults with DS was set up in one learning disability service, linked closely by a care pathway to multidisciplinary care and training for carers (McBrien, et al, 2005 for a description). This was enabled by opportunistic funding from a Health Action Zone, which allowed the recruitment of a full-time research assistant for a year.…”

Section: Dementia In Down Syndrome Examplementioning

confidence: 99%

Research and practice hand in hand: the experience of promoting research of benefit to people with learning disabilities from within the NHS

McBrien¹

2008

Journal of Research in Nursing

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The paper describes how clinicians from different disciplines and agencies working with children and adults with learning disabilities have joined forces to promote and conduct research pertinent to this client group. Examples of research projects show how practitioners can improve the evidence base and service delivery. Difficulties for practitioners in conducting research and gaining funding are described, with reference to the recommendations of the Cooksey report (2006).

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Screening Adults with Down's Syndrome for Early Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

Cited by 11 publications

References 8 publications

The role of prospective screening in the diagnosis of dementia in people with Down's syndrome

The role of prospective screening in the diagnosis of dementia in people with Down's syndrome

Should we refer for a dementia assessment? A checklist to help know when to be concerned about dementia in adults with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities

Research and practice hand in hand: the experience of promoting research of benefit to people with learning disabilities from within the NHS

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