Correlates of mini-mental status examination scores among elderly demented patients: The influence of race-ethnicity

doi:10.1016/0895-4356(94)90082-5

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology

Volume 47, Issue 12, December 1994, Pages 1381-1387

https://doi.org/10.1016/0895-4356(94)90082-5 Get rights and content

Abstract

Data on 1888 patients seen at Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Centers in California were used to examine possible differences in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) results for different racial-ethnic groups. White patients had scores less indicative of dementia than Black and Hispanic patients using the standard 23 cutting point on the MMSE. However, there were no differences among these groups in the percentages clinically diagnosed as demented. The difference in the percentage of Whites vs Blacks and Hispanics categorized as demented by the MMSE was not accounted for by education, occupation, age, sex, or other variables tested, even though these variables were correlated with MMSE scores. Our data suggest that clinicians should consider MMSE scores for Black and Hispanic patients an underestimate of their cognitive capabilities relative to that of White patients.

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Original articleCorrelates of mini-mental status examination scores among elderly demented patients: The influence of race-ethnicity

Abstract

J Psychiatry Res

J Clin Epidemiol

Predicting intellectual level from the Mini-Mental State examination

J Am Geriatr Soc

Educational level differences on the Mini-Mental State: the role of test bias

Psychol Med

Relationship of health and demographic characteristics to Mini-Mental State Examination score among community residents

Psychol Med

Comparison of two screening tests in Alzheimer's disease

Arch Neurol

Neuropsychologic detection of abnormal mental decline in older persons

JAMA

Dementia of the Alzheimer type: an inventory of diagnostic clinical features

J Am Geriatr Soc

Eye movements and Alzheimer's disease: significance and relationship to visuospatial confusion

When language fails: nonverbal communication abilities of the demented

Original article
Correlates of mini-mental status examination scores among elderly demented patients: The influence of race-ethnicity