Question on a Deficit Score

hackelj21

Hello. 

SO happy to find this group.  My father has Lewey Body Dementia.  6 Months ago his deficit score was 30.  We went back today and it was 11......  Could someone let me know what that means?

Thank you!! 

loveskitties

Assumption (and we know what those get you) is that 11 is worse than 30.

For most accurate explanation, it would be best to get your questions answered by the med. person who administered and scored the test.

hackelj21

Thank you.  My sister is the primary caregiver with my mother.  I wasnt allowed to go back and ask questions. But thanks so much for the reply! 

Quilting brings calm

I don’t know what a deficit score is.  I do know what an MMSE score is.  An MMSE test takes about 10 minutes, involves the patient answering a series of questions and getting points for each correct answer.   Top score  is 30.   11 would indicate severe dementia.  You can Google  MMSE score of 11.   It’s an arbitrary test though.  Sone people with dementia still do well on  it.   If you are talking about that test. A 19 point drop is pretty drastic.  Did the doctor recommend any follow up?

ButterflyWings

Hi Hackelj - welcome with sympathy that you qualify to join this great group of people, who share such a heartbreaking reason for being here.

I know nothing about LBD, but found these (4) links that you may or may not have reviewed already? I also agree with what loveskitties and Quilting said. Sounds like the doc is the best one to answer your question (it is a good question), and knowing which scale was used, is key to interpret the score.

Mainly I wanted to encourage you though, despite the shock and dismay of a dementia diagnosis in the family--you are in the right place to connect with the most knowledgable and sharing group of dementia-experienced carers. You may want to do another post with Lewy Body in the headline. There are many members here with LOs living with that same diagnosis. Their experiences and suggestions would be very helpful I am sure. 

Wishing you strength and as much peace of mind as possible as the future unfolds. I am sorry your dad and you + sis are going through this.

https://www.lbda.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIprnvp4Gz9wIV-W1vBB2GhgTgEAAYASAAEgIqXfD_BwE

 

https://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/guide/dementia-lewy-bodies

https://www.lbda.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2017_diagnostic_checklist_-_updated_criteria_v2_1.pdf

 

https://patient.info/doctor/mini-mental-state-examination-mmse#:~:text=Scores%20of%2025%2D30%20out,and%20%3C10%20as%20severe%20impairment.

(Excerpt from the final link above: MMSE scores of 25-30 out of 30 are considered normal; the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) classifies 21-24 as mild, 10-20 as moderate and <10 as severe impairment...)