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Memory complaints associated with seeking clinical care
Carolina Pires1, Dina Silva, João Maroco
1Dementia Clinics, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenue Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal.
International Journal of Alzheimer'S Disease
|April 27, 2012
Summary
Elderly individuals seeking clinical help report more memory complaints than community members. Forgetting names is a key symptom driving clinical visits for memory concerns.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Medicine
- Cognitive Neurology
- Psychology
Background:
- Memory complaints are crucial for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment.
- However, memory complaints are also common in healthy individuals, complicating diagnosis.
- Differentiating clinical memory concerns from general population experiences is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the severity and types of memory difficulties in elderly patients seeking clinical help versus community-dwelling older adults.
- To identify specific memory symptoms that prompt individuals to seek medical attention.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Subjective Memory Complaints Scale (SMC) for assessing memory difficulties.
- Employed the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for general cognitive assessment.
- Used the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) to evaluate depressive symptoms.
- Included 871 non-demented subjects over 50 years old, comparing clinical and community samples.
Main Results:
- The clinical sample reported significantly higher total SMC scores (10.3 ± 4.2) compared to the community sample (5.1 ± 3.0).
- Forgetting names of family or friends (SMC Item 3) contributed more to the total SMC score variance in the clinical group (18%) than in the community group (11%).
Conclusions:
- Elderly individuals presenting with memory complaints in a clinical setting report greater severity than those in the community.
- Difficulty remembering names is a significant subjective memory complaint that may drive older adults to seek professional medical help.
- This specific symptom appears particularly worrisome and influential in the decision to consult healthcare providers for memory issues.
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