Cognitive screening in Egypt: survey of opinions and best practices for detecting cognitive impairment in Egyptians

It is estimated that, worldwide, a new case of dementia develops every 3 s. Around 60% of cases occur in low- and middle-income countries such as Egypt, with this number expected to rise to 71% in the next 25 years. Egypt is the most populous Arabic-speaking country, containing one-quarter of the world’s Arab population. However, a majority of tools for assessing cognitive impairment have not been standardised, normed and validated according to International Test Commission guidelines, nor have they been culturally adapted, for the Egyptian population. We gathered insight from doctors and clinicians practising in Egypt to learn how they assess patients suspected of cognitive impairment. The majority reported that they used Western-made screening tools (e.g. the Montreal Cognitive Assessment), but were overwhelmingly of the view that such assessments should be standardised and adapted for Egyptians. This lack of consistent standards can lead to misclassification of cases in this lower middle-income country.