Is the diagnosis of dementia stable over time among elderly immigrant Gujaratis in the United Kingdom (Leicester)?
BACKGROUND
The single largest ethnic elder group in the United Kingdom originates from the Indian subcontinent and their numbers are increasing.


METHODS
Elderly Gujarati subjects, with a diagnosis of dementia ascertained during an epidemiological field study in Leicester, were reexamined at a median follow-up interval of 27 months to establish stability of the original diagnosis and cognitive decline.


RESULTS
Seven of the original 11 subjects with dementia were alive at the follow-up and they were reexamined by a Gujarati psychiatrist. In six of these seven subjects the diagnosis of dementia was reconfirmed with concomitant cognitive decline on the CAMDEX dementia severity index. Informant history in three of the four original dementia subjects provided evidence of cognitive decline between the original interview and death.


CONCLUSIONS
The diagnosis of dementia in elderly Gujaratis was stable at follow-up with concurrent evidence of decline. This also provided further support for the validity and performance of the Gujarati MMSE in the original study.
Imperial College School of Medicine, London, UK. a.shah@cxwms.ac.uk
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Shah
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Lindesay
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Jagger
D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000208:ethnology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule / Q000592:standards*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000592:standards*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014175:Translating