New test could predict dementia risk during routine GP visits

It may be possible to assess the risk of developing dementia by analyzing information gathered during routine visits to the family doctor, according to research published in the open access journal BMC Medicine. Researchers from UCL have developed an algorithm that uses routinely collected data to predict a five-year risk of dementia as part of an NIHR-funded study. The team identified 930,395 patients without previous records of dementia, cognitive impairment or memory problems. Using these patients' records, the researchers built a simple computer algorithm that predicts the risk of future dementia diagnoses within five years. This algorithm, the Dementia Risk Score, could help rule out patients at very low risk for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease in primary care. The researchers used randomly selected anonymized data, collected by 377 UK practices between 2000 and 2011, recorded in The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database. The database contains patient records for around 6% of general practices in the UK.