Higher risk of mild cognitive impairment among older men

February, 2012

Significant differences in the risk of mild cognitive impairment for men and women, and in the risk of developing the two sub-types, suggests that risk factors should be considered separately for genders and sub-type.

More data from the long-running Mayo Clinic Study of Aging has revealed that, in this one part of the U.S. at least, MCI develops at an overall rate of 6.4% a year among older adults (70+), with a higher rate for men and the less-educated.

The study involved 1,450 older adults (aged 70-89), who underwent memory testing every 15 months for an average of three years. By the end of the study period, 296 people had developed MCI, a rate of 6.4% per year. For men, the rate was 7.2% compared to 5.7% for women.

It should be noted that these rates apply to a relatively homogeneous group of people. Participants come from one county in Minnesota, an overwhelmingly white part of the U.S.

MCI comes in two types: amnestic (involving memory loss) and non-amnestic. Amnestic MCI was more than twice as common as non-amnestic MCI. The incidence rate of aMCI was also higher for men (4.4%) than women (3.3%), as was the risk of naMCI (2% vs 1.1%).

Those who had less education also had higher rates of MCI. For aMCI, the rate for those with 12 years or less of education was 4.3%, compared to 3.25% for those with more education. Similarly, for naMCI, the rates were 2% and 1%, respectively.

While the great majority of people diagnosed with MCI continued to have the disorder or progressed to dementia, some 12% were later re-diagnosed as not having it. This, I would presume, probably reflects temporary ‘dips’ in cognitive performance as a consequence of physical or emotional problems.

The differences between aMCI and naMCI, and between genders, suggest that risk factors for these should be considered separately.

Reference: 

Related News

In the past few months, several studies have come out showing the value of three different tests of people's sense of smell for improving the accuracy of

A study comparing the language abilities of 22 healthy young individuals, 24 healthy older individuals and 22 people with

Following on from a previous study showing that such a virtual supermarket game administered by a trained professional can detect

Data from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study, involving 6,467 postmenopausal women (65+) who reported some level of caffeine consumption, has found that those who consumed above average amounts of coffee had a lower risk of developing dementia.

Our bodies’ ability to regulate its temperature gets worse with age, along with a slowing metabolism. We also become more vulnerable to Alzheimer's as we age. A study compared mice genetically engineered to manifest Alzheimer's symptoms as they age with normal mice.

People with Alzheimer's disease develop problems in recognizing familiar faces. It has been thought that this is just part of their general impairment, but a new study indicates that a specific, face-related impairment develops early in the disease.

Data from 876 patients (average age 78) in the 30-year Cardiovascular Health Study show that virtually any type of aerobic physical activity can improve brain volume and reduce Alzheimer's risk.

A study involving 100 older adults (aged 80-99) with hearing loss has found that those who used a hearing aid performed significantly better on a cognitive test (MMSE) than those who didn't use a hearing aid, despite having poorer hearing.

A study involving 65 older adults (average age 66), of whom 35 had type 2 diabetes, has found that after two years, those with diabetes had decreases in their ability to regulate blood flow in the brain, and a reduced ability to regulate blood flow was associated with lower cognitive scores.

A small study that fitted 29 young adults (18-31) and 31 older adults (55-82) with a device that recorded steps taken and the vigor and speed with which they were made, has found that those older adults with a higher step rate performed better on memory tasks than those who were more sedentary.

Pages

Subscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest health newsSubscribe to Latest news
Error | About memory

Error

The website encountered an unexpected error. Please try again later.