Mild Cognitive Decline Equates to 80% Higher Death Rate
An 80% higher death rate was observed in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared to individuals with no cognitive issues.
In 2009, a study found a correlation between reduced life expectancy in some people with Alzheimer’s disease and both types of its precursor, MCI. The 2 types of MCI are amnestic, mainly affecting memory, and non-amnestic, affecting a person’s thinking skills and visual perception but memory remains intact.
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This recent study, aiming to assess the risk of death in patients with MCI and conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, included 862 participants with thinking problems and 1292 individuals with no thinking problems between the ages 70 and 89. At the start of the study, participants were given a test to assess their cognitive abilities. Follow-up tests took place every 15 months for the next 6 years.
In the group with MCI, 331 participants died over the course of the study period, while only 224 people died in the group without MCI. Comparing the types of MCI to the participants without the condition, researchers found that people with amnestic MCI had a 68% higher death rate and twice as many individuals with non-amnestic MCI died as the people without MCI.
Study author, Dr. Maria Vassilaki said, “We will continue to study the how and why regarding the relationship between memory decline, thinking decline and death. This research brings us one step at a time closer to the answers.”
The Mayo Clinic researchers will present their findings at the American Academy of Neurology’s 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA.
— Sarah O’Brien
Reference
Study Examines Risk of Early Death for People with Mild Cognitive Impairment [press release]. Philadelphia, PA: American Academy of Neurology; April 23, 2014.