Screening of cognitive functions and the prediction of incident dementia by means of the SIDAM

Objective The suitability of the SIDAM (Structured Interview for the Diagnosis of Dementia) for the detection of pre-clinical stages of dementia. Methods Prospective study of a sample of 794 non-demented elderly persons in the age bracket from 65 to 85 who were initially being treated in general hospitals. A cognitive screening with the SIDAM was performed during their stay in the hospital. After discharge the occurrence of dementia was determined in four follow-up studies at one-year intervals. Results During the follow-up, 700 newly developed cases of dementia were diagnosed. A lower performance in the SIDAM was associated with a significantly higher risk of the development of dementia. In comparison with the upper quartile in total SIDAM score the relative risk of a dementia amounted to 2.6 (1.0-6.8) for the second quartile, 4.5 (1.9-11.0) for the third quartile and 13.3 (5.7-31.1) for the fourth quartile. The highest predictive validity was found for memory performance, in particular for free delayed recall. Conclusions Risk groups for dementia can be identified by the use of a brief cognitive screening procedure.