Background: Hope for future treatments to prevent or slow down dementia motivates researchers to strive for ever-earlier diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease (AD) based on biomarkers, even before symptoms occur. But is a biomarker-based early diagnosis desirable in clinical practice?
Objective: This study explores the ethical considerations that shape current clinical practice regarding early AD diagnostics and the use of biomarkers.
Methods: In this qualitative study, Dutch physicians were interviewed. Topics included physicians' views concerning early AD diagnosis in persons with no or mild cognitive impairment, physicians' considerations regarding current and expected future practices of early AD diagnosis, the use of biomarkers, and the use of the concepts preclinical and prodromal AD. We analyzed the transcripts using directed content analysis.
Results: 15 general practitioners, neurologists, and geriatricians in the Netherlands were interviewed. Most of them interpreted an early AD diagnosis with an early diagnosis of dementia. We identified six clusters of considerations sometimes in favor but most often against pursuing an early AD diagnosis in people with no or mild cognitive impairment that influence physicians' diagnostic decision-making: preferences and characteristics of persons, test characteristics, impact on care, type of setting, disease concepts, and issues on a societal level.
Conclusion: The discussion concerning an early AD diagnosis based on biomarkers which is widely held in the scientific field, has not entered clinical practice structurally. A biomarker-based early diagnosis does not fit within Dutch physicians' views on what good care for people with no, subjective, or mild cognitive impairment should entail.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7902965 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/JAD-200884 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Wearable technology in inflammatory bowel disease: current state and future direction.
Expert Rev Med Devices
January 2025
Division of Gastroenterology, P.D Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai, India.
Introduction: Wearables are electronic devices worn on the body to collect health data. These devices, like smartwatches and patches, use sensors to gather information on various health parameters. This review highlights current use and the potential benefit of wearable technology in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvaluation of sleep disorders in children and adolescents affected by Klinefelter syndrome.
Eur J Pediatr
January 2025
Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Unlabelled: Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is the most common sex chromosomal aneuploidy in males (47,XXY karyotype in 80-90% of cases), primarily characterized by hypergonadotropic hypogonadism and infertility. It encompasses a broad phenotypic spectrum, leading to variability in neurocognitive and psychosocial outcomes among affected individuals. Despite the recognized correlation between KS and various neuropsychiatric conditions, studies investigating potential sleep disorders, particularly in pediatric subjects, are lacking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong-term epidemiological trends in (primary) pediatric central nervous system tumors: a 25-year cohort analysis in Western Mexico.
Childs Nerv Syst
January 2025
Ph.D. Human Genetics Program, Molecular Biology and Genomics Department, Human Genetics Institute "Dr. Enrique Corona-Rivera", University Center of Health Sciences, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico.
Background: Central nervous system tumors (CNSTs) represent a significant oncological challenge in pediatric populations, particularly in developing regions where access to diagnostic and therapeutic resources is limited.
Methods: This research investigates the epidemiology, histological classifications, and survival outcomes of CNST in a cohort of pediatric patients aged 0 to 19 years within a 25-year retrospective study at the Civil Hospital of Guadalajara, Mexico, from 1999 to 2024.
Results: Data was analyzed from 273 patients who met inclusion criteria, revealing a higher incidence in males (51.
Giant encephalocele in newborns: prenatal diagnosis, management and outcome.
Childs Nerv Syst
January 2025
Department of Global Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada.
Background: A giant encephalocele associated with Chiari malformation is a rare congenital anomaly from a cephalad neural tube defect. Early prenatal diagnosis and parental counseling are essential; as early surgical intervention can improve outcomes.
Methods: Between 2010 and 2023, twenty-seven newborns out of 43,815 delivered at our institution were diagnosed with encephaloceles, including seven cases of giant encephalocele associated with Chiari malformation type III.
Introduction: Pediatric anxiety is rapidly increasing, and in 2022, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended universal anxiety screening using a validated tool for children 8-18 years.
Method: This evidence-based practice quality improvement initiative integrated an educational process, a validated anxiety screening tool, and a Caregiver Satisfaction Survey into all primary care wellness visits for patients aged 8-18 years.
Results: Significant increases in screening and referrals for mental healthcare were observed postinitiative implementation, especially in ages 8-11 years.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!