Usefulness of repeated presentation of Mini-Mental State Examination as a diagnostic procedure - a population-based study

Material and methods - The 280 subjects who achieved 24 points or less in the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in the first survey of 1449 subjects were invited for a comprehensive diagnostic examination for dementia including medical history, thorough neurological and cardiovascular examinations and detailed neuropsychological evaluation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-study, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-analysis, electrocardiogram (ECG), chest radiograph and blood tests after the first assessment. The MMSE was presented again. Results - Out of 240 persons, 57 subjects were diagnosed as having dementia. When the cut-off point of 24 or less in the second MMSE was used, the sensitivity of the second MMSE was 82% and the specificity was 64%. The positive predictive value of the second MMSE was 42% and negative predictive value 92%. The non-demented subjects improved their MMSE score at the second examination. In contrast, the demented subjects maintained their low MMSE score at the second examination.