Introduction:

The accuracy of commonly used screening tests for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has not been directly compared to those that could be more appropriate for lower schooling.

Objective:

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of usual screening tests for AD with instruments that might be more appropriate for lower schooling among older adults with low or no literacy.

Methods:

The study included a clinical sample of 117 elderly outpatients from a Geriatric Clinic classified as literate controls (n = 39), illiterate controls (n = 30), literate AD (n = 30) and illiterate AD (n = 18). The tests were compared as follows: Black and White versus Colored Figure Memory Test; Clock Drawing Test versus Clock Reading Test; Verbal Fluency (VF) animal versus grocery category; CERAD Constructional Praxis versus Stick Design Test.

Results:

The means of literate and illiterate controls did not differ in the Black and White Figure Memory Test (immediate recall), Colored Figure Memory Test (delayed recall), Clock Reading Test and VF animals and grocery categories. The means of the clinical groups (controls versus AD), in the 2 schooling levels, differed significantly in most of the tests, except for the CERAD Constructive Praxis and the Stick Design Test. Diagnostic accuracy was not significantly different between the compared tests.

Conclusion:

Commonly used screening tests for AD were as accurate as those expected to overcome the education bias in a sample of older adults with lower or no education.

中文翻译：

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常规认知筛查测试的诊断准确性与用于识别阿尔茨海默病的低教育适当测试的诊断准确性。

介绍：

阿尔茨海默病 (AD) 常用筛查测试的准确性尚未与更适合低年级教育的测试进行直接比较。

客观的：

比较通常的 AD 筛查测试的诊断准确性与可能更适合低文化程度或不识字的老年人中受教育程度较低的仪器的诊断准确性。

方法：

该研究包括来自老年诊所的 117 名老年门诊患者的临床样本，这些患者分为识字对照 (n = 39)、文盲对照 (n = 30)、识字 AD (n = 30) 和文盲 AD (n = 18)。测试的比较如下：黑白对比彩色图形记忆测试；时钟绘图测试与时钟读取测试；语言流畅性 (VF) 动物与杂货类别；CERAD 结构实践与棒设计测试。

结果：

识字和文盲对照的平均值在黑白图形记忆测试（立即回忆）、彩色图形记忆测试（延迟回忆）、时钟阅读测试和 VF 动物和杂货类别中没有差异。除了 CERAD Constructive Praxis 和 Stick Design 测试之外，临床组（对照组与 AD）的平均值在 2 个学校教育水平中的大多数测试中存在显着差异。比较测试之间的诊断准确性没有显着差异。

结论：

常用的 AD 筛查测试与预期能够克服受教育程度较低或没有受过教育的老年人样本中的教育偏差的测试一样准确。