Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Mild Cognitive Impairment More Common in Senior
Citizen Men than Women, Study Finds
Prevalence was also higher in participants who
never married, than those currently or previously married
Sept. 8, 2010 – Senior citizens may be at risk of
developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI), often a precursor to
Alzheimer’s disease, earlier in life if they are male, according to a
new study. The researchers found this problem consistently higher among
senior men than senior women at all ages among this study group ranging
in age from 70 to 89.
Primarily funded by the National Institute on Aging
(NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, the study appearing
yesterday in Neurology indicates there is a gender difference in
the development and progression of MCI.
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Read the latest news on
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health |
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Scientists evaluated the cognitive health of 1,969
dementia-free older people and found 16 percent showed signs of MCI, a
condition usually marked by memory problems or other cognitive problems
greater than those expected for their age.
Prevalence was greater among
the older participants, and it was consistently higher in men than women
across all age ranges.
Ronald C. Petersen, Ph.D., M.D., and his team at
the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., conducted the research, which was
also supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), also
part of the NIH. Additional funding was provided by the Robert H. and
Clarice Smith and Abigail van Buren Alzheimer's Disease Research Program
and the Rochester Epidemiology Project, also supported by NIA.
"Because evidence indicates that Alzheimer's
disease may cause changes in the brain one or two decades before the
first symptoms appear, there is intense interest in investigating MCI
and the earliest stages of cognitive decline," said NIA Director Richard
J. Hodes, M.D.
"While more research is needed, these findings
indicate that we may want to investigate differences in the way men and
women develop MCI, similar to the way stroke and cardiovascular disease
risk factors and outcomes vary between the sexes."
The researchers conducted in-person evaluations of
the randomly selected people from all 70- to 89-year-olds living in
Olmsted County, Minn. The group was evenly split between men and women.
Each individual received a neurological evaluation
and neuropsychological testing. A panel then reviewed those data plus
other information, such as health history and occupation/education
levels, to reach a diagnosis. Sixteen percent were diagnosed with MCI;
these individuals displayed either amnestic MCI, where memory is
impaired, or non-amnestic MCI, where different cognitive problems arise,
such as with language.
Results of the study indicated that:
● Overall, MCI was more prevalent in men (19
percent) than in women (14 percent), even after adjusting for several
demographic variables and clinical factors, such as hypertension and
coronary artery disease.
● Of the 16 percent affected with MCI, over
twice as many people had the amnestic form that usually progresses to
Alzheimer’s disease and the prevalence rate was higher in men than in
women.
● MCI prevalence was higher among people with
the APOE e4 gene, a known risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's, a form
of the disease that usually occurs at age 65 or older.
● A greater number of years spent in school was
significantly associated with decreased MCI prevalence, from 30 percent
among participants with less than nine years of education to just 11
percent in those with more than 16 years of education.
● MCI prevalence was higher in participants who
never married, as opposed to those currently or previously married.
The researchers noted that estimates of MCI
prevalence vary in studies conducted around the world but generally fall
into a range of 11 to 20 percent. The Mayo team's evaluation of
participants included detailed in-person assessments that helped to
capture the subtle changes in daily function that may mark the onset of
MCI, Petersen said.
The researchers also noted that the study’s
limitations include a relatively low participation rate by Olmstead
County residents and the fact that the population is predominantly
white. Thus, these findings may not apply to other ethnic groups.
The NIA leads the federal government effort
conducting and supporting research on the biomedical, social and
behavioral issues of older people. For more information on aging-related
research and the NIA, go to
www.nia.nih.gov. The NIA provides information on age-related
cognitive change and neurodegenerative disease specifically at its
Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center site at
www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers. To sign up for e-mail alerts about new
findings or publications, please visit either website.
The mission of the NIMH is to transform the
understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and
clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery and cure. For
more information, visit
www.nimh.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The
Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers
and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,
clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the
causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For
more information about NIH and its programs, visit
www.nih.gov.
