Head turn sign as a marker of dementia diagnosis

Abstract

Due to the phenomenon of ageing population, cognitive impairment has become more prevalent, and any marker able to improve its detection becomes of significant importance. With that objective in mind, a prospective observational study was performed in a medical consultation related to cognitive impairment. 150 subjects (58% women) were included with an average age of 76 years (SD 8.6). The Head Turn sign was positive for 32 subjects with a sensitivity of 41.7% for dementia, a specificity of 93.7% and a negative  predictive value of 64.4%. This study shows the semiologic value of a simple clinical sign, easy to spot in the daily practice and most helpful to alert physicians about a likely dementia diagnosis.