Prevalence and classification of mild cognitive impairment in the Cardiovascular Health Study Cognition Study: part 1.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and its diagnostic classification in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) Cognition Study.


METHODS
The CHS Cognition Study is an ancillary study of the CHS that was conducted to determine the presence of MCI and dementia in the CHS cohort.


METHODS
Multicenter population study.


METHODS
We examined 3608 participants in the CHS who had undergone detailed neurological, neuropsychological, neuroradiological, and psychiatric testing to identify dementia and MCI.


METHODS
The prevalence of MCI was determined for the whole cohort, and specific subtypes of MCI were examined in detail only at the Pittsburgh, Pa, center (n = 927). Mild cognitive impairment was classified as either MCI amnestic-type or MCI multiple cognitive deficits-type.


RESULTS
The overall prevalence of MCI was 19% (465 of 2470 participants); prevalence increased with age from 19% in participants younger than 75 years to 29% in those older than 85 years. The overall prevalence of MCI at the Pittsburgh center was 22% (130 of 599 participants); prevalence of the MCI amnesic-type was 6% and of the MCI multiple cognitive deficits-type was 16%.


CONCLUSIONS
Twenty-two percent of the participants aged 75 years or older had MCI. Mild cognitive impairment is a heterogeneous syndrome, where the MCI amnestic-type is less frequent than the MCI multiple cognitive deficits-type. Most of the participants with MCI had comorbid conditions that may affect their cognitive functions.
Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pa, USA. lopezol@msx.upmc.edu
Oscar L
OL
Lopez
William J
WJ
Jagust
Steven T
ST
DeKosky
James T
JT
Becker
Annette
A
Fitzpatrick
Corinne
C
Dulberg
John
J
Breitner
Constantine
C
Lyketsos
Beverly
B
Jones
Claudia
C
Kawas
Michelle
M
Carlson
Lewis H
LH
Kuller
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000145:classification* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D011153:Population; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales