Relationship of sex, race, age, education, and level of intelligence to the frequency of occurrence of a WAIS‐R marker for dementia of the Alzheimer's type

Abstract

The frequency of occurrence of a Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale‐Revised marker for Alzheimer's disease (Fuld, 1982) was calculated for a sample of normal persons 75 years and older. Means for age and education were 80.79 (SD = 5.18) and 10.88 (SD = 2.94), respectively. The prevalence of the marker by age, sex, race, years of education, and intellectual level was examined. Overall, only 8% (18/225) of the sample manifested the Fuld pattern. Although pattern prevalence did not differ by sex, race, and level of intelligence, it varied according to age and educational level. Incidence of the marker was essentially the same for all age groups with ≤11 years of education. However, for persons with ≥12 years of schooling, the prevalence of the profile was greatest for individuals older than 84. It was concluded that for persons ≥85 with 12 or more years of education the Fuld pattern is relatively common and lacks diagnostic significance.