Dementia Rating Scale-2 normative data for middle-and older-aged Castilian speaking Spaniards

The Dementia Rating Scale-2 (DRS-2) is frequently used as a dementia screening tool in clinical and research settings in Spain. The present study describes DRS-2 Total and subscale scores in community-dwelling Spaniards, aged 50-71, and provides normative data for its use in Castilian Spanish-speaking individuals.

The sample consisted of 798 individuals who participated in an observational study on essential hypertension. Mean age was 62.8 years (SD = 5.4), mean education was 8.6 years (SD = 3.4) with 47.9% females. Almost all of them were receiving blood pressure-lowering drugs (93%) and most of them had fairly well-managed blood pressure control (M systolic/diastolic blood pressure = 142.3/77.0 ± 16.0/9.2 mm Hg). We applied a previously described method of data normalization from the Mayo's Older Americans Normative Studies to obtain the Castilian Spanish DRS-2 norms.

Worse performance on Total and subscale scores was associated with older age (p < .05) and fewer years of education (p < .001). Women obtained lower raw Total scores than men (131.68 ± 7.2 vs. 133.10 ± 6.90, p < .005), but had fewer years of education (7.96 ± 3.33 vs. 9.17 ± 3.45, p < .001). This gender difference disappeared after correcting for age and years of education. Total and subscale scores are presented adjusted by age, and normative data are shown for Total scores adjusted by age and years of education.

These norms are useful for studying cognitive status and cognitive decline in research and clinical settings in Castilian Spanish-speaking populations.