Change in the mini-mental state exam in Alzheimer's disease over 2 years: the experience of a dementia clinic.
The decline in the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) over 2 years was assessed in males with Alzheimer's disease (AD; N = 136) seen in a dementia clinic. The average initial MMSE was 21.0 (SD+/-3.9; range 14--29) and declined 2.8 points (+/-4.7; range -17 to +6) over 2 years. The mode for change on the MMSE was 0 (N = 22) while the median fell between 2 and 3 points lost. Fifty-five of 136 patients (39.7%) had unchanged or better scores. There was no significant correlation between the initial MMSE and rate of change (r = -0.16; p = 0.06). While the progression of AD is quite variable from patient to patient, our data indicate that in most it is associated with little if any change in the MMSE even over 2 years. The MMSE is not an adequate tool to monitor change in the individual patient with AD.
Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA. mccar034@umn.edu
J Riley
JR
McCarten
Susan J
SJ
Rottunda
Michael A
MA
Kuskowski
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D008609:Mental Status Schedule / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008910:Minnesota; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*