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Living unnoticed: Cognitive impairment in older people with multimorbidity

Ekdahl, Anne W. LU orcid ; Odzakovic, E. and Hellström, Ingrid (2016) In Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging 20(3). p.275-279
Abstract
Objectives: To investigate the correlation between MMSE ≤ 23 and the presence of a diagnosis of dementia in the medical record in a population with multimorbidity. Design, setting, and participants: This cross-sectional study was part of the Ambulatory Geriatric Assessment – a Frailty Intervention Trial (AGe-FIT; N = 382). Participants were community dwelling, aged ≥ 75 years, had received inpatient hospital care at least three times during the past 12 months, and had three or more concomitant diagnoses according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision. Measurements: The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was administered at baseline. Medical records of participants with MMSE scores <24 were examined for the... (More)
Objectives: To investigate the correlation between MMSE ≤ 23 and the presence of a diagnosis of dementia in the medical record in a population with multimorbidity. Design, setting, and participants: This cross-sectional study was part of the Ambulatory Geriatric Assessment – a Frailty Intervention Trial (AGe-FIT; N = 382). Participants were community dwelling, aged ≥ 75 years, had received inpatient hospital care at least three times during the past 12 months, and had three or more concomitant diagnoses according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision. Measurements: The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was administered at baseline. Medical records of participants with MMSE scores <24 were examined for the presence of dementia diagnoses and two years ahead. Results: Fifty-three (16%) of 337 participants with a measure of MMSE had a MMSE scores <24. Six of these 53 (11%) participants had diagnoses of dementia (vascular dementia, n = 4; unspecified dementia, n = 1; Alzheimers disease, n = 1) according to medical records; 89% did not. Conclusions: A MMSE-score <24 is not well correlated to a diagnosis of dementia in the medical record in a population of elderly with multimorbidity. This could imply that cognitive decline and the diagnosis of dementia remain undetected in older people with multimorbidity. Proactive care of older people with multimorbidity should focus on cognitive decline to detect cognitive impairment and to provide necessary help and support to this very vulnerable group. (Less)
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author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
cognitive decline, dementia, Multimorbidity, under-diagnosis, aged, article, cognitive defect, cross-sectional study, female, geriatric assessment, hospital care, hospital patient, human, ICD-10, intervention study, major clinical study, male, medical record, Mini Mental State Examination, morbidity, priority journal, scoring system
in
Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging
volume
20
issue
3
pages
5 pages
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • pmid:26892576
  • scopus:84959576616
ISSN
1279-7707
DOI
10.1007/s12603-015-0580-2
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
cbad3607-e4c8-4b48-afb1-5e43f7015f5c
date added to LUP
2017-05-21 10:11:17
date last changed
2024-02-12 19:34:54
@article{cbad3607-e4c8-4b48-afb1-5e43f7015f5c,
  abstract     = {{Objectives: To investigate the correlation between MMSE ≤ 23 and the presence of a diagnosis of dementia in the medical record in a population with multimorbidity. Design, setting, and participants: This cross-sectional study was part of the Ambulatory Geriatric Assessment – a Frailty Intervention Trial (AGe-FIT; N = 382). Participants were community dwelling, aged ≥ 75 years, had received inpatient hospital care at least three times during the past 12 months, and had three or more concomitant diagnoses according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision. Measurements: The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was administered at baseline. Medical records of participants with MMSE scores &lt;24 were examined for the presence of dementia diagnoses and two years ahead. Results: Fifty-three (16%) of 337 participants with a measure of MMSE had a MMSE scores &lt;24. Six of these 53 (11%) participants had diagnoses of dementia (vascular dementia, n = 4; unspecified dementia, n = 1; Alzheimers disease, n = 1) according to medical records; 89% did not. Conclusions: A MMSE-score &lt;24 is not well correlated to a diagnosis of dementia in the medical record in a population of elderly with multimorbidity. This could imply that cognitive decline and the diagnosis of dementia remain undetected in older people with multimorbidity. Proactive care of older people with multimorbidity should focus on cognitive decline to detect cognitive impairment and to provide necessary help and support to this very vulnerable group.}},
  author       = {{Ekdahl, Anne W. and Odzakovic, E. and Hellström, Ingrid}},
  issn         = {{1279-7707}},
  keywords     = {{cognitive decline; dementia; Multimorbidity; under-diagnosis; aged; article; cognitive defect; cross-sectional study; female; geriatric assessment; hospital care; hospital patient; human; ICD-10; intervention study; major clinical study; male; medical record; Mini Mental State Examination; morbidity; priority journal; scoring system}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{275--279}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging}},
  title        = {{Living unnoticed: Cognitive impairment in older people with multimorbidity}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12603-015-0580-2}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s12603-015-0580-2}},
  volume       = {{20}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}