Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) is a validated cognitive screening tool for illiterate and low-educated individuals, adaptable across languages and cultures. In Peru, we adapted it for Quechua speakers (Q-RUDAS) to assess cognitive status in older adults. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to estimate the prevalence of neurocognitive disorders-mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia-among Quechua-speaking older adults in one of the most socially vulnerable districts of Peru using the Quechua version of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (Q-RUDAS), a brief cognitive screening tool validated in Peru. METHODS: We studied 511 participants from Puno a region in the southern Peruvian Andes (mean age 65.04 ± 6.73 years; 80.4% females), collecting sociodemographic data and Q-RUDAS scores. After excluding 18 individuals with medical conditions that could affect cognitive performance, such as neurological, psychiatric, or cerebrovascular disorders, 493 completed the test. RESULTS: All Q-RUDAS items were well understood, although over 50% of participants struggled with visuospatial construction. The mean Q-RUDAS score was 26.01 ± 2.71. Of the participants, 446 (90.5%) scored within normal ranges (26.67 ± 1.92), 41 (8.3%) were classified as having mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (21.49 ± 1.92), and 6 (1.2%) as having dementia (17.00 ± 2.71) based on established Q-RUDAS cut-offs. Urban participants scored higher. The prevalence of MCI and dementia combined was 9.52%. CONCLUSIONS: The Q-RUDAS is a culturally sensitive tool that can support the identification of cognitive impairment in Indigenous populations. Our findings highlight the need for further cross-validation studies to refine diagnostic accuracy in Quechua-speaking populations.
Source: Brain Sciences
Authors: Jonathan Zegarra-Valdivia, Ruth Diana Mamani Quispe, José Chinoapaza Turpo, Carmen Paredes-Manrique, Marco Malaga, Oscar Mamani-Benito, Rosa Montesinos, Nilton Custodio, Giuseppe Tosto
Institutions: Universidad Científica del Sur, Universidad Peruana Unión, Universidad Tecnológica del Perú, Instituto Peruano de Neurociencias, Universidad Señor de Sipán, Universidad Privada San Juan Bautista, NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,654
Funder: National Institute on Aging
Award: G204519638
OpenAlex ID: W7108445359