The Early Presentation of Dementia in People With Down Syndrome: A Simple Screening Protocol for the Assessment of Dementia in A Sample of the Italian Population

Aims: Adults with Down syndrome are at a high risk of developing an early onset of Alzheimer’s disease. It is important to clinically assess the prodromal symptoms to help early detection of the disease and provide specific treatment (Lautarescu, Holland, & Zaman, 2017). The objective is to propose a specific easy and rapid procedure for the screening of dementia in such population. Methods: The Adaptive Behaviour Dementia Questionnaire (ABDQ) (Prasher, Farooq, & Holder, 2004) and the Dementia Screening Questionnaire for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (DSQIID) (Deb, Hare, Prior, & Bhaumik, 2007) together with the Psychiatric Instrument for the Intellectually Disabled Adult (SPAID) (Bertelli et al., 2012) have been identified because of their realibility and validity. The intraclass correlation for testretest of the DSQIID in particular is 0.95 with a significance of P < 0.01.We also conducted clinical, cognitive and cardiological assessment together with medical reports analysis and neuroimaging assessment when indicated. Results: Short memory dysfunction and behavioral symptoms resulted to be the more common indicators associated with the onset of Alzheimer disease, in adults with Down Syndrome. Conclusions: Early diagnosis is fundamental in order to display early pharmacological and psychosocial interventions.