Predicting three categories of Dementia Assessment Sheet for Community‐based Integrated Care System 8‐items score‐based glycemic targets using the number of animal names recalled

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: The Dementia Assessment Sheet for Community‐based Integrated Care System 8‐items (DASC‐8) assesses memory, orientation, instrumental activities of daily living and basic activities of daily living. Category I (DASC‐8 score ≤10), category II (11 ≤ DASC‐8 score ≤16) and category III (DASC‐8 score ≥17) have been defined. Based on these categories, the glycemic targets in diabetes patients aged ≥65 years have been proposed by the Japan Diabetes Society and the Japan Geriatrics Society Joint Committee. DASC‐8 is difficult to apply to patients without family members or supportive persons. We propose a verbal fluency test as the screening tool. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 69 inpatients aged ≥65 years with type 2 diabetes, who were administered the DASC‐8 and VF tests, which included recalling animal names and common nouns starting with a specified letter in 1 min. The relationship between DASC‐8 and verbal fluency test scores was investigated. RESULTS: Animal fluency correlated with DASC‐8 scores after adjustment for patient characteristics. Animal scores correlated with orientation, instrumental activities of daily living and basic activities of daily living scores of DASC‐8, and tended to show a relationship with DASC‐8 memory scores. An animal score ≥8 predicted category I with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 57%. An animal score ≤6 predicted category III with a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 67%. CONCLUSIONS: Animal scores would be useful in predicting the categories of DASC‐8. Animal fluency could be a screening tool of DASC‐8 when a patient's family member or supportive person is absent.