Description

What is mild cognitive impairment? Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) happens when you experience a slight — but noticeable — decline in mental abilities compared to others your age. Mental abilities include: • Memory. • Reasoning and judgment. • Planning and completing complex tasks. What’s the difference between mild cognitive impairment and mental decline due to aging? It’s natural and expected to have some gradual mental decline as you age. For example, learning new information may take longer than before. Or your speed of performance may get slower. Normal aging doesn’t affect recognition, intelligence or long-term memory. As you age beyond 65 years, you may occasionally forget names and words and misplace things. With mild cognitive impairment, you frequently forget conversations and information that you would typically remember, like appointments and other planned events. MCI interferes with your daily, routine activities. What’s the difference between dementia and mild cognitive impairment? Both dementia and MCI are descriptive terms that tell us about the degree of cognitive change and how it affects daily activities. The main difference between MCI and dementia is that the mental decline in MCI doesn’t interfere with daily living, whereas dementia does. In addition, people with MCI don’t experience personality changes that people with dementia can. Many underlying conditions can lead to MCI or dementia. A person with dementia has two or more of these specific difficulties, including a decline in: • Memory. • Reasoning. • Language. • Coordination. • Mood. • Behavior. How common is mild cognitive impairment? The American Academy of Neurology estimates that mild cognitive impairment is present in the following populations: • 8% of people aged 65 to 69. • 15% of people aged 75 to 79. • 25% of people aged 80 to 84. • 37% of people 85 or older. Symptoms and Causes What are the symptoms of mild cognitive impairment? The main sign of mild cognitive impairment is a slight decline in mental abilities. Examples include: • Memory loss: You may forget recent events or repeat the same questions and stories. • Language issues: You may have difficulty coming up with the right words. You may also have trouble understanding written or verbal information as well as you used to. • Attention: You may lose focus or get distracted more easily than you used to. • Reasoning and judgment: You may have difficulty problem-solving and making decisions. • Complex planning: It may be more difficult to plan and/or complete complex tasks, like paying bills, taking medications, shopping, cooking, household cleaning and driving. Movement difficulties and problems with your sense of smell are also linked to MCI. What causes mild cognitive impairment? Mild cognitive impairment can have several possible causes. Some are treatable and others aren’t. Some of the possible causes include: • Depression, chronic stress an anxiety. • Thyroid, kidney or liver problems. • Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. • Conditions that affect blood flow in your brain, like tumors, blood clots, stroke or traumatic brain injury. • Vitamin B12 deficiency or other nutrient deficiencies. • An infection, such as a urinary tract infection (UTI). • Side effects of certain prescription medications, like calcium channel blockers, anticholinergic drugs, benzodiazepines and others. • Substance use disorder and alcohol use disorder. MCI is often an early stage of certain neurodegenerative conditions. MCI can be an early stage of: • Alzheimer’s disease. • Parkinson’s disease. • Lewy body dementia. • Vascular dementia. • Frontotemporal dementia. What are the risk factors for mild cognitive impairment? The strongest risk factors for mild cognitive impairment are the same as those for dementia: • Being 65 or older. • Having a biological family history of dementia. • Having conditions that increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes and obesity. Prevention Can I prevent mild cognitive impairment? Not all cases of MCI are preventable. But there are steps you can take to try to keep your brain healthy and reduce your risk of MCI, including: • Avoiding or quitting smoking. • Avoiding alcohol or only drinking it in moderation. • Eating a healthy, balanced diet. • Exercising regularly. • Maintaining healthy blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels. • Minimizing and managing stress. • Getting quality sleep. • Exercising your brain by doing puzzles, reading, learning new skills and similar activities. • Engaging in social activities. • Seeing your healthcare provider regularly to manage any chronic conditions you have.

Key Specification MCI

Mild Cognitive Impairment

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