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Validity of family history for the diagnosis of dementia among siblings of patients with late‐onset Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Devi G.,
Marder K.,
Schofield P.W.,
Tang M.X.,
Stern Y.,
Mayeux R.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
genetic epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.301
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1098-2272
pISSN - 0741-0395
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2272(1998)15:3<215::aid-gepi1>3.0.co;2-3
Subject(s) - spouse , proband , family history , sibling , dementia , disease , alzheimer's disease , population , psychology , medicine , gerontology , psychiatry , demography , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , biology , genetics , environmental health , sociology , anthropology , mutation , gene
Abstract 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. Genet. Epidemiol. 15:215–223, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.