Abstract

Objective: To analyze the result of the application of two questionnaires for cognitive screening: Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in patients that attended to the Neurology Department by assessing the effectiveness in the detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Dementia.

Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to calculate the sample size considering a sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 90%, confidence interval of 95%, and a precision of 10%. The data was analyzed using RCMDR package of R 95% confidence interval. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated, taking the MoCA as the gold standard. A logistic regression analysis was done to evaluate the variables associated with the diagnosis.

Results: Two hundred and twelve subjects were evaluated according to the inclusion criteria. The variables age, gender, school years, independence, and illness were considered. The MoCA results showed 35 subjects with probable MCI, averaging 45 years old, basic scholar education 82.7% (n=29), and predominantly females. The MMSE results showed nine subjects with probable MCI, age ranged between 42-75 years old, and predominantly females (88%). A prevalence of 16.5% for cognitive deterioration was found. The MMSE reported a sensitivity of 23% and a specificity of 94.7% with a PPV of 88.9% and an NPV of 86.7%.

Conclusion: The MMSE was less sensitive compared to the MoCA which was more sensitive for the detection of cognitive impairment in a tested population. Outstanding schooling represents the most significant protective factor to develop Cognitive Impairment or Dementia.

Keywords: Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA); Mild cognitive impairment (MCI); Montreal cognitive assessment spanish version (MoCA-S); Central nervous system (CNS); Cognitive impairment (CI)