Evaluation of cognitive decline and its relationship with socioeconomic characteristics of the elderly in Viçosa, Minas Gerais

Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia

Cotta, Rosângela Minardi Mitre¹  Ribeiro, Rita de Cássia Lanes¹  Machado, Juliana Costa²  Leal, Paulo Fernando da Glória¹ 

[1] Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brasil

关键词: Aged;    Cognitive decline;    Mini-Mental State Examination;    Dementia;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S1415-790X2007000400017

学科分类：过敏症与临床免疫学

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

INTRODUCTION:This study assesses cognitive decline in individuals 60 years of age and over,participants of a City Third Age Program (CPTA) in Viçosa, MG, and itsrelation with social and economic characteristics.
METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out with 74 elderlyindividuals. The study included literate individuals who filled out the followingcriteria: absence of visual or auditory loss, with some inclusions of correctedcases; absence of motor alterations, upper member paralysis or lack of members;absence of neurological or psychiatric problems affecting performance in theMMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination). Data collecting tools were a questionnaireprepared by the research team, and the MMSE.
RESULTS: The frequency of cognitive decline was 36.5%. The average MMSEscore was 19.48 points of a best total of 30, and the average age of the elderlywas 68.5 years.
DISCUSSION: The results showed that a lower level of schooling has anegative influence on the mental state of the elderly.
CONCLUSION: A high number of elderly individuals with cognitive declinewere identified, which is an unsettling factor. To conclude, the diagnosis ofdementia in the elderly whose scores indicated cognitive decline needs morerefined neurological and psychiatric evaluation.

【 授权许可】

CC BY