Preliminary findings from the predictors study: utility of clinical signs for predicting disease course

Abstract

The aim of the Predictors Study is to develop a model of the progression of Alzheimer disease (AD) that can predict disease course in individual patients. This article reviews our recent work investigating the utility of extrapyramidal signs, psychotic symptoms, and age at onset of AD for predicting time to reach important disease milestones and the rapidity of disease progression. These clinical features of the disease, all easily ascertainable at a patient's initial visit, are powerful predictors of disease course. Our findings have implications for patient management as well as the planning and interpretation of clinical trials.