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| News covering selected sessions related to migraine from 2008 medical conferences. |
| Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology |
Chicago, IL April 15-18, 2008 |
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Robert One of First Prevalence Studies
Finds More Mild Cognitive Impairment in Men |
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BY MARY JO M. DALES
Editorial Director |
CHICAGO
— Men have more mild cognitive impairment than women do,
yet there is no gender difference in the prevalence of dementia,
according to the results of one of the first studies to measure
mild cognitive impairment prospectively in a population-based
setting.
The findings, reported by Dr. Rosebud O. Roberts at the annual
meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, suggest that
dementia progresses either faster in women or slower in men.
For the ongoing study, called the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging,
mild cognitive impairment was evaluated in a population sample
from Olmstead County, Minn. The sampling scheme aimed for equal
numbers of individuals in each gender and age group. The 70- to
79-year-old group included 490 women and 596 men. The 80- to
89-year-old group included 512 women and 452 men. For both age
groups, there were 1,002 women and 1,048 men.
Either a nurse, physician, or neuropsychologist evaluated each
individual using face-to-face measures. Subjects were evaluated
in four domains—memory, executive function, language, and
visual/spatial skills. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was
defined as impairment in one or more
domains or an overall mild decline across cognitive abilities
that is greater than would be expected for an individual’s age
or education but is insufficient to interfere with social and
occupational functioning.
Based on these evaluations, 74% of the group had normal
cognition, 16% had mild cognitive impairment, and 10% had
dementia. Of the nearly 2,000 study participants without
dementia, 51% were male, 47% had less than 12 years of
education, 52% were 80-89 years old, and
61% were married.
Subjects were studied prospectively beginning in October 2004
and follow-ups will continue through 2010. This differs from
most other studies of MCI, which had the limitations of applying
MCI criteria to previously collected data or were conducted in
study samples, such as those
attending memory clinics, who might not be representative of the
general population.
In men, the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment steadily
increased from about 10% at age 70 and suddenly spiked after age
85 to affect 40%. In women, the rate rose more slowly and the
prevalence was far lower, peaking at less than 20% at age 85.
Even after the data were corrected for age plus education,
marital status, and disease burden, women had less cognitive
impairment but comparable rates of dementia, compared with men,
Dr. Roberts said.
“We found the overall prevalence of mild cognitive impairment is
quite high—over 16%,” said Dr. Roberts. “But perhaps the more
surprising finding is the higher prevalence of MCI in men with
the comparable prevalence of dementia for men and women.”
Several possible explanations for this disparity include a
prevalence of risk factors in middle age vs. later life, the
progression rate from MCI to dementia, and death among persons
with MCI.
Dr. Roberts said that she and her co-investigators are in the
process of adding on another 1,000 study participants to
continue the follow-up study and are applying for additional
funding. The study was supported by grants from the National
Institutes of Health and the Robert H. and
Clarice Smith and Abigail Van Buren Alzheimer’s Disease Research
Program. |
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