Memory impairment in a simple recall task increases mortality at 10 years in non-demented elderly.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether memory impairment detected in the three-word delayed recall task of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) increases the risk of mortality.


METHODS
The NEDICES (Neurological Diseases in Central Spain) cohort study, is a population census-based study, aimed at detecting age-associated neurological diseases in people aged 65 and over, living in one rural and two urban communities in central Spain. Participants with dementia or without MMSE evaluation at baseline were excluded. Mortality was evaluated 10.67 years after enrollment. Cox's proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the hazard of death according to performance in the three-word delayed recall task included in the MMSE (score 0-3), adjusting for potential covariates (sex, age, level of education, and comorbidity). Survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier method.


RESULTS
The final study population comprised 3778 non-demented elderly subjects. After adjusting for confounding covariates, mortality was 52% greater in persons with the lowest memory score (0) vs. persons with the highest score (3). Hazard ratios (HR) showed a tendency to an increase in mortality from the highest to the lowest memory score, which was statistically significant for the groups with none (HR=1.52; CI=1.27-1.80) or one (HR=1.24; CI=1.04-1.48) word recall. Older age, male sex, and comorbidity were also associated with mortality, but level of education was not.


CONCLUSIONS
Memory impairment in the three-word delayed free recall, a very simple task used by physicians worldwide, increases the risk of mortality at 10 years in non-demented elderly.
Villarejo
Alberto
A
Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain. avgalende@yahoo.es
Bermejo-Pareja
Félix
F
Trincado
Rocío
R
Olazarán
Javier
J
Benito-León
Julián
J
Rodríguez
Cilia
C
Medrano
María José
MJ
Boix
Raquel
R
Vega
Saturio
S
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000401:mortality*; D011939:Mental Recall; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016019:Survival Analysis