New Scoring System May Help Predict Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment

What is your doctor using to objectively determine your cognitive problems post-stroke? If MCI is identified what protocols does to doctor have to address those problems?
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Researchers have developed a new scoring system to help determine which elderly people may be at a higher risk of developing the memory and thinking problems that can lead to dementia.
“Our goal is to identify memory issues at the earliest possible stages,” said Ronald C. Petersen, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. “Understanding what factors can help us predict who will develop this initial stage of memory and thinking problems is crucial because people with MCI [mild cognitive impairment] have an increased risk of developing dementia.”
The study -- published in the March 18, 2015, online edition of the journal Neurology -- involved 1,449 randomly selected people from Olmsted County, Minnesota, aged 70 to 89 years who did not have memory and thinking problems. At the start of the study and at visits every 15 months for an average of 4.8 years, participants were given memory and thinking tests. During the study, 401 people (28%) developed MCI.
The scoring system took into account factors that could be easily obtained from medical records, such as years of education, history of stroke or diabetes, and smoking. Researchers also factored in information obtained at the clinic visit, such as a test of thinking abilities and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Factors were assigned a score based on how much they contributed to the risk of developing thinking problems. For example, being diagnosed with diabetes before age 75 increased the risk score by 14 points, while having 12 or fewer years of education increased the risk by 2 points.
When the women’s scores were divided into 4 groups, the lowest group had risk scores of less than 27 and the highest had scores of more than 46. For both men and women, those in the highest group of risk scores were 7 times more likely to develop MCI than those in the lowest group.
Age, heart health risk factors, depression and anxiety disorders, and memory or functional abilities at the start of the study contributed most to the risk score. The APOE gene was determined in the study to be only a moderate risk factor.
“This risk scale may be an inexpensive and easy way for doctors to identify people who should undergo more advanced testing for memory issues or may be better candidates for clinical trials,” said Dr. Petersen.
SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology