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@ARTICLE{Platen:280975,
author = {Platen, Moritz and Buchholz, Maresa and Rädke, Anika and
Glaeser, Eva and Iskandar, Audrey and van den Berg, Neeltje
and Hoffmann, Wolfgang and Michalowsky, Bernhard},
title = {{D}ifferentiation {B}etween {E}arly and {S}evere {S}tages
of {D}ementia in {C}laims {D}ata {B}ased on {D}iagnosis,
{P}rescription, and {U}tilization {P}atterns.},
journal = {Neurology and Therapy},
volume = {14},
number = {4},
issn = {2193-6536},
address = {Heidelberg [u.a.]},
publisher = {Springer},
reportid = {DZNE-2025-01057},
pages = {1589 - 1608},
year = {2025},
abstract = {Claims data typically lack clinical parameters such as
dementia severity, limiting insights into disease
progression and related healthcare utilization and costs.
Although diagnoses, prescriptions, and utilization patterns
may serve as proxies, their validity is unclear. This study
aimed to identify and validate these parameters to
distinguish early from severe dementia stages.Baseline data
from 737 patients with dementia were analyzed. Dementia
severity was assessed using the Mini-Mental State
Examination and classified as early (≥ 27), mild (20-26),
and moderate to severe (0-19). Healthcare utilization was
recorded via structured interviews. Diagnoses, long-term
care levels, and prescribed medications were extracted from
physicians' files. Ordinal logistic regression evaluated
associations between predictors and severity, with average
marginal effects (AME) quantifying impact. Sensitivity,
specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative
predictive value (NPV) were computed for key
predictors.Among the sample $(56\%$ female patients, mean
age 80), $18\%$ were in the early stages, $43\%$ mild, and
$39\%$ moderate to severe. Antipsychotic prescriptions (odds
ratio (OR) 3.40, $95\%$ confidence interval (CI) 1.94-5.95),
antidementia drugs (OR 2.31, $95\%$ CI 1.56-3.40), and
higher long-term care levels (OR 5.59, $95\%$ CI 2.23-13.99
for level ≥ 4) were associated with advanced severity. AME
analysis revealed that antipsychotic use reduced early-stage
probability by $14\%$ and increased severe-stage probability
by $21\%.$ Similarly, antidementia drugs lowered early-stage
probability by $9\%$ and raised severe-stage probability by
$13\%.$ Increasing care levels were associated with a
$2-16\%$ decline in early-stage probability and a $3-34\%$
rise in severe-stage probability. The combined model showed
high specificity $(99.6\%)$ and PPV $(84.6\%)$ for severe
dementia, but sensitivity and NPV for early stage were
low.Antidementia drugs, antipsychotics, and long-term care
level serve as robust predictors of moderate to severe
dementia, whereas early-stage detection remains challenging.
Future studies should validate these markers and explore
additional predictors to improve early detection in claims
data.},
keywords = {Alzheimer’s disease (Other) / Antidementia drug treatment
(Other) / Antipsychotics (Other) / Claims data (Other) /
Dementia (Other) / Dementia severity (Other) / Healthcare
utilization (Other) / Real-world data (Other) / Real-world
evidence (Other)},
cin = {AG Michalowsky / AG Hoffmann / AG Thyrian},
ddc = {610},
cid = {I:(DE-2719)5000067 / I:(DE-2719)1510600 /
I:(DE-2719)1510800},
pnm = {353 - Clinical and Health Care Research (POF4-353)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-353},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
pubmed = {pmid:40504345},
pmc = {pmc:PMC12255591},
doi = {10.1007/s40120-025-00778-y},
url = {https://pub.dzne.de/record/280975},
}