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Updated: Sep 10, 2025
A Machine Learning Approach to Design an Efficient Selective Screening of Mild Cognitive Impairment
Published on: January 11, 2020
A preliminary economic evaluation of a potential program for the primary prevention of Alzheimer's disease
Soeren Mattke1, Jiahe Chen1, Eric M Reiman2
1The USC Brain Health Observatory, USC Dornsife, 635 Downey Way, #505N, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
Introduction:
We evaluated the potential cost-effectiveness of a hypothetical primary prevention screening and treatment program to avert the biological and clinical onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in cognitively unimpaired older adults.
Methods:
This hypothetical program would use an amyloid plaque-clearing antibody therapy monthly in the first six months and annually thereafter in cognitively unimpaired 55-79 year-old APOE4 carriers and 60-79 year-old non-carriers with a negative AD blood test (sensitivity and specificity of 0.9), averting the onset of moderately frequent neuritic amyloid plaques by 75 %. Lifetime hypothetical treatment outcomes were compared to natural history outcomes to estimate cost-effectiveness.
Results:
The program would be cost-effective up to a per-dose price of $1173 in APOE4 carriers and $307 in non-carriers or a lifetime cost of $20,167 and $5146, respectively.
Discussion:
Primary AD prevention could be cost-effective in older adults, especially in those at higher risk. Our findings and assumptions need to be confirmed with actual data.
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