Abstract
: The aim of this article was to examine the prevalence and incidence over 2 years of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in English speakers from linguistic minorities. : Cross-sectional and longitudinal with 2-year follow-up. : Eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. : Eight hundred twenty-seven community-dwelling participants from English-speaking backgrounds (ESB) and 160 participants from non-English-speaking backgrounds (NESB) recruited through the electoral roll. : Participants were assessed using 11 neuropsychological tests measuring memory, language, attention/processing speed, and executive function. Questionnaires measuring functional impairment and subjective cognitive complaints were completed by participants or informants. : We found a two- to threefold higher prevalence of MCI in NESB participants than ESB participants depending on the impairment criterion applied. This difference was because of higher rates of objective cognitive impairment in NESB participants; rates of functional impairment and subjective cognitive complaints did not differ between the groups. This association between MCI prevalence and NESB status was accounted for by the proportion of time the participant spoke English and the proportion of life they had lived in Australia, but not by age, gender, and education. There were no differences between NESB and ESB groups in MCI incidence, dementia incidence, or rates of conversion from MCI to dementia. NESB participants had lower rates of reversion from MCI to normal. : It is difficult to accurately diagnose MCI in persons from linguistic minority groups, even when proficient in English as neuropsychological test scores may not be valid for these groups. English language ability and level of acculturation should be considered when assessing older persons from ethnic minority groups.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.