어느 농촌 지역 거주 노인에 대한 한국형 간이정신상태검사의 6년간 2회 주적 조사

Two Consecutive 6-Year Follow-ups of the MMSEK in the Rural Elderly

Objectives：To examine the changing pattern of cognitive function in old age. Methods：Longitudinal observation of MMSEK performances of the elderly living in a rural community through 2 consecutive 6-year follow-ups. The mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variability of the three consecutive MMSEK performances with 6-year interval were indicators of the changing pattern. Paired t-test was used for comparison of two consecutive MMSEK performances：MMSEK-90 vs MMSEK-96 and MMSEK-96 vs MMSEK-02, while Student s t-test for comparison between the first and second 6-year changes of the MMSEK performance. Results：In all age groups, the MMSEK performance declined significantly during the two consecutive 6-year periods, the standard deviation and coefficient of variability widened with age, and the second 6-year decline of the MMSEK performance was significantly greater than the first 6-year decline. Conclusion：Decline of the cognitive function is steeper in the elderly with age and the declining pattern is the ‘fan-spread’ shape.