Objective: In order to identify mildly cognitively impaired subjects, MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT: (MCI) represents a current and well-discussed concept. Prevalence and conversion rates, relative risks and data on the sensitivity and specifity of MCI for the development of dementia will be calculated.
Methods: 980 subjects aged 75 years and over who participated in the Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged (LEILA 75+) were clinically interviewed and cognitively tested at regularly intervals over a mean period of six years.
Results: At baseline, the prevalence of MCI was 19.3 %, including (original) and 41.5 % excluding (modified) the criterion of subjective cognitive complaints. Diagnoses of original and modified amnestic MCI-subtypes were associated with relative risks of more than three for the development of dementia.
Conclusions: MCI represents a risk factor for dementia, mainly if the cognitive impairments are related to the area of memory. However, in order to predict dementia reliably, further findings (e. g. biomarkers) are required.