DETECT— Navigating a New Era in Alzheimer’s Disease: Integrating Disease-Modifying Therapies into Clinical Practice
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A 72-year-old man presents for a follow up visit in primary care and complains of decline in memory over the past year. He keeps forgetting things and has to write down more reminders than he used to. Collateral information corroborates that he remains essentially independent in his activities of daily living. A Mini-Cog exam is performed at the visit, showing a score of 3/5 with 0/2 for clock and 2/3 for recall. Also, a MoCA screen shows a score of 24/30 with deficits in clock draw (-1 off), trails (-1 off) and 1/5 short term recall (-4 off). Physical and neurological examinations are essentially normal. What is his cognitive-functional status?
Subjective cognitive decline
Mild cognitive impairment
Mild dementia
Moderate dementia
Mrs. A is a 79-year-old woman with multiple-domain amnestic MCI and a diagnosis of AD-MCI. She had confirmed elevated cerebral amyloid plaques (A+) documented 2 years ago as part of a Medicare real-world study. Her last brain MRI from that study demonstrated three cerebral microhemorrhages. Her current MoCA is 19 and APOE ε4 genotype is unknown. In evaluating her potential eligibility for treatment with a disease-modifying therapy, which of the following would you consider?
MoCA score of 19 excludes her from potential eligibility
She does not need an APOE ε4 genotype testing to determine potential eligibility
She would need an APOE ε4 genotype testing to determine potential eligibility
Unsure
A 68-year-old woman started an anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody 1 month ago for mild dementia associated with Alzheimer’s disease. She presents today with mild headache, confusion, and dizziness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirms moderate amyloid-related imaging abnormalities-edema (ARIA-E). What should you do for this patient?
Continue anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody treatment infusions and re-evaluate in 2 months
Lower the dose of anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody treatment
Switch to a different anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody therapy
Suspend anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody treatment for the time being, closely follow the patient clinically, and repeat MRI monthly until ARIA-E resolution
Ms. L, a 74-year old woman with a family history of dementia, is referred to your clinic by her PCP after reporting increasing forgetfulness over the past year. She scores 25/30 on the MMSE, and neuropsychological testing confirms mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Her daily functioning is intact, and labs and MRI rule out other causes. Her brain MRI shows mild regional atrophy and mild white matter changes; and there are no hemorrhages, infarcts, masses, lesions or substantial other abnormalities. The patient and family are interested in treatment options, and you want to determine if she qualifies for a disease-modifying (DMT). Which of the following steps is most appropriate to confirm eligibility for DMTs and streamline access to therapy
Order amyloid PET imaging to confirm underling etiology to document results and support access
Start DMT based on clinical criteria and functional status, while pursuing confirmatory testing
Refer back to PCP for monitoring since symptoms are still mild
Schedule follow-up in 3 months to monitor progression before initiating next steps
DMTs would not be appropriate until the patient has moderate or severe dementia
Mr. J, a 70-year-old man with confirmed MCI due to Alzheimer’s disease (positive amyloid PET) visits your clinic to discuss next steps and potential therapy with anti-amyloid antibodies. His baseline MRI is unremarkable, and his APOE- ε4 status is ε3/ ε4 (heterozygous ε4 positive). He and his daughter are eager to understand the risks, monitoring requirements, and what benefits to realistically expect from treatment. Which of the following would you communicate to Mr. J and his daughter?
Explain that anti-amyloid therapy can reverse memory loss, with minimal risks, so monitoring is optional
Recommend starting therapy but defer detailed discussion on ARIA until side effects emerge
Review that therapy may slow progression (not reverse symptoms), discuss ARIA risks and safety monitoring plan
Advise against therapy due to the potential burden of MRI monitoring and uncertainty of benefit
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