Utility of Mini-Mental State Exam scores in predicting functional impairment among white and African American dementia patients
- PMID: 8681002
- DOI: 10.1093/gerona/51a.4.m185
Utility of Mini-Mental State Exam scores in predicting functional impairment among white and African American dementia patients
Abstract
Background: The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) is widely used to assess cognitive impairment. Although education and race have been shown to affect the validity of the MMSE in detecting dementia, whether race and education influence the validity of the MMSE in gauging severity of dementia is unknown.
Methods: Patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's and other dementias (59 African American, 112 White) were administered the MMSE, and information was gathered on patient functional impairment, including Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), and the Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist (MBPC). Demographic information, including patient and caregiver education, and patient age, was also assessed.
Results: African American and White patients did not differ significantly on the MMSE or functional impairment variables, but White patients had higher educational attainment. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that race and education did not predict functional impairment, and MMSE scores were strong predictors of ADL and IADL levels for both African American and White patients. MMSE predicted variability in MBPC scores for White patients only, perhaps related to racial differences in subjective caregiver report of behavioral problems.
Conclusions: While race and education may affect the validity of the MMSE in detecting the presence of cognitive impairment, the MMSE can be a useful predictor of degree of ADL and IADL impairment in patients diagnosed with dementia, regardless of race.
Similar articles
-
Screening for Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: An Evidence Update for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force [Internet].Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2013 Nov. Report No.: 14-05198-EF-1. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2013 Nov. Report No.: 14-05198-EF-1. PMID: 24354019 Free Books & Documents. Review.
-
Diagnostic validity of age and education corrections for the Mini-Mental State Examination in older African Americans.J Am Geriatr Soc. 2012 Feb;60(2):328-31. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2011.03766.x. Epub 2011 Dec 8. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2012. PMID: 22150301 Free PMC article.
-
Role of functional performance in diagnosis of dementia in elderly people with low educational level living in Southern Italy.Aging Clin Exp Res. 2007 Apr;19(2):104-9. doi: 10.1007/BF03324675. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2007. PMID: 17446720
-
Determinants of functional abilities in dementia.J Am Geriatr Soc. 1995 Oct;43(10):1092-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1995.tb07006.x. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1995. PMID: 7560697
-
The mini-mental state examination: a comprehensive review.J Am Geriatr Soc. 1992 Sep;40(9):922-35. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1992.tb01992.x. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1992. PMID: 1512391 Review.
Cited by
-
Early strong predictors of decline in instrumental activities of daily living in community-dwelling older Japanese people.PLoS One. 2022 Apr 5;17(4):e0266614. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266614. eCollection 2022. PLoS One. 2022. PMID: 35381051 Free PMC article.
-
Using Big Data in oncology to prospectively impact clinical patient care: A proof of concept study.J Geriatr Oncol. 2018 Nov;9(6):665-672. doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2018.03.017. Epub 2018 Apr 17. J Geriatr Oncol. 2018. PMID: 29678669 Free PMC article.
-
Subjective cognitive concerns are associated with objective memory performance in Caucasian but not African-American persons.Age Ageing. 2017 Nov 1;46(6):988-993. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afx077. Age Ageing. 2017. PMID: 29088363 Free PMC article.
-
Validation of the multimodal assessment of capacities in severe dementia: a novel cognitive and functional scale for use in severe dementia.J Neurol. 2015 May;262(5):1198-208. doi: 10.1007/s00415-015-7692-9. Epub 2015 Mar 6. J Neurol. 2015. PMID: 25740664
-
Understanding the Outcomes Measures used in Huntington Disease Pharmacological Trials: A Systematic Review.J Huntingtons Dis. 2014;3(3):233-52. doi: 10.3233/JHD-140115. J Huntingtons Dis. 2014. PMID: 25300328 Free PMC article. Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical