title: Validation and cultural adaptation of the Arabic versions of the Mini-Mental Status Examination - 2 and Mini-Cog test.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The elderly population is increasing around the world, and the prevalence of dementia increases with age. Hence, it is expected that the number of people with dementia will increase significantly in the coming years. The Mini-Mental Status Examination - 2 (MMSE-2) and Mini-Cog are widely used tests to screen for dementia. These scales have good reliability and validity and are easy to administer in clinical and research settings.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to validate the Arabic versions of MMSE-2 and Mini-Cog. These scales were assessed against theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision(DSM-IV-TR) criteria for dementia, as the gold standard.
  
  
  METHODS
  The standard versions of the MMSE-2 and Mini-Cog were translated to Arabic following the back-translation method. Then, a trained rater administered these tests to 134 Arab elderly aged >60 years. A physician, blind to the results of these two tests, assessed the participants for vascular dementia or probable Alzheimer's disease, based on theDSM-IV-TRcriteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample included 67.2% Qataris. The mean age was 74.86 years (standard deviation =7.71), and 61.9% did not attend school. The mean of the adjusted scores of MMSE-2 based on age and education level was 19.60 (standard deviation =6.58). According toDSM-IV-TR, 17.2% of the participants had dementia. Sensitivity and specificity of the MMSE-2 and the Mini-Cog together were 71.4% and 61.6%, respectively, which were better than those of each test alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Together, the Arabic versions of MMSE-2 and Mini-Cog are good screening tools for cognitive impairment in Arabs.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Department, Hamad Medical Corporation.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Albanna
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Department, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar.
authors.forename: Arij
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yehya
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Department, Hamad Medical Corporation.
authors.forename: Abdalla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khairi
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Department, Hamad Medical Corporation.
authors.forename: Elnour
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dafeeah
authors.affiliation: Primary Health Care Corporation.
authors.forename: Abdelsalam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elhadi
authors.affiliation: Geriatrics Department, Rumailah Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation.
authors.forename: Lamia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rezgui
authors.affiliation: Geriatrics Department, Rumailah Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation.
authors.forename: Shahada
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al Kahlout
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University.
authors.forename: Adil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yousif
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Basim
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Uthman
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Department, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar.
authors.forename: Hassen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al-Amin
keywords: Arabic version; MMSE-2; Mini-Cog; dementia; validation