Brain health clinics - An evolving clinical pathway?

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Gerontology
• Public Health

Background:

• Dementia care traditionally focuses on diagnosis and post-diagnostic support.
• Growing recognition of the importance of addressing risk factors and prevention in dementia management.
• The Bristol Brain Health clinic integrates diagnostic and preventative approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the clinical pathway, patient population, and patient experience at the Bristol Brain Health clinic.
• To evaluate the clinic's performance against established gold standards for brain health services.
• To assess the effectiveness of preventative lifestyle interventions for individuals with mild cognitive disorders.

Main Methods:

• An observational, longitudinal/retrospective cohort study of 110 patients with mild cognitive disorders (2017-2023).
• Data collected included clinical assessments, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease (AD), and lifestyle questionnaires.
• Clinic evaluation used recommendations from The European Task Force for Brain Health Services.

Main Results:

• The patient cohort (average age 63.9 years, 62.8% male) frequently presented with risk factors like low mood (55.5%), hypertension (49.1%), high cholesterol (47.3%), and hearing loss (40%).
• 66.4% received preventative lifestyle interventions, including risk reduction plans.
• Common diagnoses included AD (20%), Functional Cognitive Disorder (14.6%), and Vascular dementia (7.3%). CSF testing aided in differentiating AD.
• Patient feedback was positive, with 100% recommending the clinic.

Conclusions:

• The Bristol Brain Health clinic offers advanced diagnostics and preventative lifestyle interventions.
• The patient population exhibits a high prevalence of dementia risk factors and diverse diagnoses.
• Preventative interventions are well-received, suggesting patient willingness for proactive risk management.
• Further research and continued preventative strategies are warranted for this population.