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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Bloss Stephan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
BACKGROUND: Rapid demographic ageing is a growing public health issue in many low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs). Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a construct frequently used to define groups of people who may be at risk of developing dementia, crucial for targeting preventative interventions. However, little is known about the prevalence or impact of MCI in LAMIC settings. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Data were analysed from cross-sectional surveys established by the 10/66 Dementia Research Group and carried out in Cuba, Dominican Republic, Peru, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, China, and India on 15,376 individuals aged 65+ without dementia. Standardised assessments of mental and physical health, and cognitive function were carried out including informant interviews. An algorithm was developed to define Mayo Clinic amnestic MCI (aMCI). Disability (12-item World Health Organization disability assessment schedule [WHODAS]) and informant-reported neuropsychiatric symptoms (neuropsychiatric inventory [NPI-Q]) were measured. After adjustment, aMCI was associated with disability, anxiety, apathy, and irritability (but not depression); between-country heterogeneity in these associations was only significant for disability. The crude prevalence of aMCI ranged from 0.8% in China to 4.3% in India. Country differences changed little (range 0.6%-4.6%) after standardization for age, gender, and education level. In pooled estimates, aMCI was modestly associated with male gender and fewer assets but was not associated with age or education. There was no significant between-country variation in these demographic associations. CONCLUSIONS: An algorithm-derived diagnosis of aMCI showed few sociodemographic associations but was consistently associated with higher disability and neuropsychiatric symptoms in addition to showing substantial variation in prevalence across LAMIC populations. Longitudinal data are needed to confirm findings-in particular, to investigate the predictive validity of aMCI in these settings and risk/protective factors for progression to dementia; however, the large number affected has important implications in these rapidly ageing settings.
Author(s): Sosa AL, Albanese E, Stephan BC, Dewey M, Acosta D, Ferri CP, Guerra M, Huang Y, Jacob KS, Jiménez-Velázquez IZ, LlibreRodriguez JJ, Salas A, Williams J, Acosta I, González-Viruet M, GuerraHernandez MA, Shuran L, Prince MJ, Stewart R
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: PLoS Medicine
Year: 2012
Volume: 9
Issue: 2
Print publication date: 07/02/2012
Date deposited: 04/04/2012
ISSN (print): 1549-1277
Publisher: Public Library of Science
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001170
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001170
PubMed id: 22346736
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