A low, 'normal' score on the Mini-Mental State Examination predicts development of dementia after three years.
OBJECTIVE
To study whether a low, "normal" sumscore (i.e., 24 or higher) on the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) near the cutpoint usually employed for identifying persons with cognitive impairment predicts later development of dementia.


METHODS
A prospective study of a random sample of nondemented persons aged 75 years and older, according to DSM-III criteria, with follow-ups after 3 and 6 years.


METHODS
The subjects were 215 persons living at home, mean age 81 years, 81% women. Their mean MMSE sumscore at the start of the study (T0) was 27.9 (range 24-30).


RESULTS
A low MMSE sumscore at T0 was identified as a statistically strongly significant predictor of dementia after 3 years (P < .001), when more than 40% of those with a sumscore of 24 or 25 at T0 had become demented. A similar, although weaker and statistically nonsignificant, trend was observed for the risk after 6 years in relation to MMSE scoring at baseline.


CONCLUSIONS
Persons with a sumscore of 24 or 25 and classified as not suffering from dementia according to the DSM-III criteria are at high risk of developing dementia within 3 years.
Braekhus
A
A
Research Group in Geriatrics of the Norwegian National Health Association, Ullevaal Hospital, Oslo.
Laake
K
K
Engedal
K
K
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity