Allain T J, Wilson A O, Gomo Z A, Adamchak D J, Matenga J A
Department of Medicine, University of Zimbabwe School of Medicine, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Cent Afr J Med. 1996 Apr;42(4):98-101.
To measure the abbreviated mental test (AMT)-and to determine factors which might influence this in a group of Zimbabwean elders.
Community based cross sectional survey.
Randomly selected households within randomly selected villages and two high-density urban areas in north eastern Zimbabwe.
278 subjects aged 60 to 92 years (124 male, 154 female).
A questionnaire, including the AMT, was administered, at home, by trained research nurses.
AMT-literacy rates, visual acuity, social and demographic information.
128 (46pc) scored less than seven, a level normally associated with significant mental impairment. Only one subject was actually disoriented in time and place. Multiple regression analysis confirmed that increasing age, female sex, rural evidence, lack of formal education, reduced visual acquity and not currently living with a spouse were all independent factors associated with low AMT score.
It was apparent that the AMT was not a valid tool for screening for confusion in Zimbabwean elderly, since the prevalence of senile-dementia is increasing in the developing world. It is important to develop a screening test for use in Zimbabwe which is sensitive but is independent of these confounding variables.
对简易精神状态检查表（AMT）进行测量，并确定可能影响津巴布韦一组老年人该项检查表结果的因素。
基于社区的横断面调查。
在津巴布韦东北部随机选取的村庄以及两个高密度城区内随机抽取的家庭。
278名年龄在60至92岁之间的受试者（男性124名，女性154名）。
由经过培训的研究护士在家中发放包含AMT的问卷。
AMT识字率、视力、社会和人口统计学信息。
128人（46%）得分低于7分，这一分数通常与明显的精神损害相关。实际上只有一名受试者存在时间和地点定向障碍。多元回归分析证实，年龄增长、女性、农村居民、缺乏正规教育、视力下降以及目前未与配偶同住均为与AMT低分相关的独立因素。
显然，由于发展中国家老年痴呆症患病率不断上升，AMT并非筛查津巴布韦老年人精神错乱的有效工具。开发一种在津巴布韦使用的、敏感且不受这些混杂变量影响的筛查测试非常重要。
