Self-rated health in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease: baseline data from the Danish Alzheimer Intervention...

In both epidemiological studies and in clinical trials the patients' own health perception, self-rated health (SRH), measured by a single question, is frequently used as an overall health assessment. Researchers have been encouraged to examine ways of assessing SRH in cognitively impaired persons, but the validity and the influence on other factors on SRH among cognitively impaired persons remain unknown. This study reports how patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) report SRH and which factors influence SRH. The study was based on baseline data from 321 home living patients with mild AD who participated in the Danish Alzheimer Intervention Study (DAISY). Analysis using the generalized estimating equation (GEE) models revealed that good/excellent SRH among patients with mild AD were associated with longer education, lack of other chronic conditions, higher scores of quality of life (QOL), lower scores of mini mental state examination (MMSE), and loss of insight in own cognitive deficits. The present results indicate that SRH reported by patients with mild AD may differ from SRH among cognitively intact persons. Further research is needed in order to establish the validity and implication of SRH in this group of patients.