title: Sensitivity and specificity of the Mini-Mental State Examination in a Spanish-speaking population.
abstract: The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; Folstein, Folstein, & McHugh, 1975) was given to a total of 430 normal participants divided into 3 age ranges (16-50, 51-65, and 66-89) and 4 educational ranges (0, 1-4, 5-9, and > or = 10 years). The educational level effect was notoriously stronger than the age effect. Normal illiterate participants obtained scores that would correspond to severe cognitive alterations (M = 17.67); low education participants (1-4 years) would be classified with moderate cognitive alterations (M = 20.61). Sensitivity and specificity of the MMSE were established. Low sensitivity and specificity were found for both the participants with 0 and 1 to 4 years of schooling, 50% and 72.73%, respectively. In participants with more than 5 years of schooling, the specificity (86.36%) and sensitivity (86.36%) indexes were higher. We concluded that the MMSE is an instrument with little diagnostic utility among participants with a low level of education.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychophysiology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City. feggy@servidor.unam.mx
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ostrosky-Solís
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: López-Arango
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ardila
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003071:Cognition; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity