title: Clinical staging of dementia in a population survey: comparison of DSM-III-R and the Washington University Clinical Dementia Rating Scale.
abstract: In a population survey in Stockholm, 224 dementia cases were staged using two scales: the Washington University Clinical Dementia Rating Scale and DSM III-R. Both scales had to be modified by adding additional specifications and, in the case of DSM III-R, a new category of questionable dementia. After modification, the comparison of the two scales showed good agreement when all stages were analyzed (kappa = 0.60), but moderate agreement on the questionable and mild stages (kappa = 0.47). These results confirm the staging of mild dementia as the most problematic issue. Finally, the scales both showed moderate agreement with the categorized Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (0-17 for severe and moderate forms; 18-23 for mild cases). Our data suggest new cut-off points for the MMSE when used as a staging scale.
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Gerontology Research Center, Sweden.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Forsell
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fratiglioni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grut
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Viitanen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winblad
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003704:Dementia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology