Difference between Subjective and Objective Estimates of Dementia in the Community Elderly

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of how much the presence of dementia is underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed in the elderly population by themselves. METHOD: The number of self-professed dementia cases was compared to the estimated number of cases with cognitive impairment based on the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSEK) employed in a nationwide survey "Need assessment of the long-term care in the elderly" in three representative areas of Korea. The would-be dementia cases were analyzed. RESULTS: Only eighteen (0.7%) of 2,638 reported the presence of dementia while 414 (15.7%) were diagnosed as having questionable cognitive impairment and 385 (14.6%) as having definite cognitive impairment on the MMSEK. On the other hand, some of the self-professed "dementia" cases were not impaired on the MMSEK. CONCLUSION: The public should be educated on clinical manifestations of dementia for its early diagnosis and appropriate treatment because they are mostly without understanding about dementia.