Mild Cognitive Impairment Quadruples Dementia Risk

Vascular damage plays a role mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and a study suggests that vascular risk factors might contribute to the both MCI and dementia including Alzheimer’s disease.  Arfan Ikram ,from Erasmus MC University Medical Center (The Netherlands), and colleagues completed analysis of data collected in the Rotterdam Study, an observational cohort study focusing on the general population that began in 1990, when almost 8,000 inhabitants of Rotterdam aged 55 years or older agreed to participate in the study. Ten years later, another 3,000 individuals were added. Participants undergo home interviews and examinations every four years. Data analysis revealed that participants who were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) had a four-fold increased risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (AD) compared to cognitively healthy individuals. Several risk factors including older age, positive APOE-E4 status, low total cholesterol levels, and stroke, as well as specific MRI findings were associated with an increased risk of developing MCI. The risk of dementia was especially high for people with amnestic MCI. Similar results were observed regarding the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Those with MCI also faced a somewhat higher risk of death.  The lead investigator comments that: “We propose that timely targeting of modifiable vascular risk factors might contribute to the prevention of MCI and dementia.”