Diagnostic Performance of Ain-Shams Cognitive Assessment tool among older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background: A new neuropsychiatric battery named Ain-shams cognitive assessment tool (ASCA) targets MCI and dementia diagnosis. The current study aims to determine the diagnostic performance of ASCA among older adults with MCI. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study included one hundred elderly persons (aged ≥60 years) both males and females recruited from El-Mansoura university hospital outpatients’ clinics, divided into 2 groups based on the Arabic version of Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (A-RUDAS) score: Group A: Fifty participants with MCI, defined as A-RUDAS score<24. Group B: Fifty participants with normal cognitive function. The data collection process included: Step 1: Comprehensive geriatric assessment. Step 2: cognitive assessment by using A-RUDAS, Step 3: Applying ASCA. Step 4: Statistical analysis was done. RESULTS: The Mean age in the MCI group was 68.9±4.1 years. Participants who were assisted in IADL and had a higher risk of malnutrition were significantly more frequent in the MCI group, P-value 0.004 and 0.02 respectively. The total ASCA score for the current study participants at cut-off point ≤95 had perfect diagnostic characteristics in differentiating MCI from normal participants with sensitivity and specificity of 100%. The total score of Verbal learning and recall tests of ASCA of the current study participants at ≤39 had the highest MCI diagnostic performance with sensitivity and specificity 96.0% and 90.0% respectively. There was no statistically significant association between the participants` educational level and their performance in ASCA battery tests. CONCLUSION: ASCA was a valid tool for MCI diagnosis among literate and illiterate participants.