Premium
The prevalence of dementia as measured by the Cambridge Mental Disorders of the Elderly Examination
Author(s) -
O'Connor D. W.,
Pollitt P. A.,
Hyde J. B.,
Fellows J. L.,
Miller N. D.,
Brook C. P. B.,
Reiss B. B.,
Roth M.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1989.tb08587.x
Subject(s) - dementia , mental status examination , mini–mental state examination , cognitive impairment , psychiatry , mental state , medicine , psychology , cognition , gerontology , disease
General practice patients aged 75 years and over were screened for cognitive impairment using the Mini‐Mental State Examination. Those scoring 23 or below and a sample of those scoring 24 or 25 were asessed using the Cambridge Mental Disorders of the Elderly Examination (CAMDEX), a structured interview schedule specifically designed to detect mild dementia. The CAMDEX includes a mental state examination, a psychiatric history, detailed cognitive testing and an informant interview. The prevalence of dementia in 2311 patients was found to be 10.5%, about half that found in most earlier studies. Possible reasons for this low rate are discussed.