title: Current epidemiology of mild cognitive impairment and other predementia syndromes.
abstract: A variety of clinically-defined predementia syndromes, with differing diagnostic criteria and nomenclature, have been proposed to describe nondisabling symptomatic cognitive deficits arising in elderly persons. Incidence and prevalence of different predementia syndromes vary as a result of different diagnostic criteria, sampling, and assessment procedures. The incidence rates of all predementia syndromes increase with age and are higher in subjects with less education; but age, educational background, and gender are not consistently related to prevalence rates. There is particular interest in "Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)" because this predementia syndrome is thought to be a prodromal phase of Alzheimer disease (AD). Several studies have suggested that most patients who meet MCI criteria will progress to AD, but rates of conversion to AD and dementia vary widely among studies. Furthermore, MCI definition is less consistent in population-based studies than clinical studies, in which progression to AD is also more consistent. To clarify the sources of discrepant findings in the literature, this review summarizes existing epidemiological studies of the defined clinical predementia syndromes and their progression to dementia.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Geriatrics, Center for Aging Brain, Memory Unit, University of Bari, Bari, Italy. geriat.dot@geriatria.uniba.it
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Panza
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Introno
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Colacicco
authors.forename: Cristiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Capurso
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Parigi
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Caselli
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pilotto
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Argentieri
authors.forename: Pier Luigi
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Scapicchio
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scafato
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Capurso
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Solfrizzi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D009626:Terminology as Topic