[Classification of mild cognitive impairment in a population study].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to describe the methodology for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the Cardiovascular Health Study Cognition Study (CHS CS).


METHODS
The CHS CS examined the 3602 participants with detailed neurological, neuropsychological, neuroradiological, and psychiatric testing to identify dementia and MCI in four U.S. populations. The prevalence of MCI was determined for the whole cohort, and specific subtypes of MCI were examined in detail only in Pittsburgh. MCI was classified as follows: MCI Amnestic type (AT): These were patients with documented memory deficits, but otherwise normal cognitive functions. MCI Multiple cognitive deficits type (MCDT): These participants had: a) documented impairments on two tests (>1.5 SD) in a single cognitive domain other than memory, or b) one abnormal domain and one abnormal test in other domain, or c) at least one abnormal test in two different domains. MCI was considered probable when there was no other cause that may explain the cognitive deficits, and possible when there were systemic, neurological, or psychiatric disorders that might have affected cognition.


CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that up to 22% of the subjects age 75 or older have MCI. MCI can present in two forms, one with a purely amnestic syndrome, and the other with broader cognitive deficits
López
O L
OL
Alzeheimer's disease Research Center, Departamento de Neurologia y Psiquiatría, University of Pittsburgh, Facultad de Medicina, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. lopezol@msx.upmc.edu
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000145:classification*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology