Mini Mental State Examination in Sinhalese: a sensitive test to screen for dementia in Sri Lanka

Although the Sri Lankan population is ageing rapidly, dementia has not been systematically investigated here. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a brief global instrument used to assess cognitive abilities in the elderly.

This study aimed to develop and validate a Sinhalese translation of the MMSE, which could be used as a screening instrument to detect impaired cognition in an epidemiological investigation of dementia in Sri Lanka.

Due to the high literacy rate in the country, the MMSE was translated and modified slightly without having to make major changes to the original version. 380 randomly selected subjects over 65 years in a semi-urban area were screened with the translated version of the MMSE. The cut-off score for cognitive impairment was taken as 17. Of the 380 subjects screened, 33 scored < or = 17, and were thus considered cases of suspected dementia. All 33 who scored < or = 17 and 24 randomly selected subjects who scored>17 on the MMSE, thus considered cognitively normal, underwent a brief clinical examination and neuropsychological assessment with the more comprehensive neuropsychiatric test battery, Cambridge Cognitive Score (CAMCOG), to determine the presence of dementia.

Evaluated against the performance at the CAMCOG, the sensitivity and specificity of the translated MMSE were 93.5% and 84.6% respectively.

Therefore, the Sinhalese translation of the MMSE described here is a sensitive instrument to screen for dementia in Sri Lanka.