Nearly 7.5 million older Americans are estimated to have mild cognitive impairment (MCI)—a potential early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease—but don’t know it.
That’s according to new research from the University of Southern California, where researchers recently published two papers on the topic.
in the firstpublished in Alzheimer’s disease research and treatmentResearchers analyzed data on 40 million Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older and compared the number of people diagnosed with the disease with the number they would have expected to be diagnosed with. They predict that about 8 million Americans in this group may have MCI, accounting for about 13% of the country’s elderly population, or 1 in every 7 elderly people. But only 600,000 people have received a correct medical diagnosis.
second studypublished on Tuesday in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention, It was also found that MCI is “significantly underdiagnosed,” with 99.9% of U.S. primary care clinicians under-detecting cases. Researchers analyzed data from nearly 250,000 U.S. doctors and concluded that only about 8% of U.S. residents have been diagnosed with the disease.
Researchers say nearly 7.5 million older Americans may be living with MCI without knowing it. They hope to address this issue for the following reasons: Contrary to popular belief, MCI is not part of the normal aging process. Recently approved drugs may help preserve patients’ cognitive function in the early stages of decline, but not in the later stages.
While testing for the disease is generally poor in the United States, patients from historically disadvantaged groups, including blacks and Hispanics and those with less education, fare even worse. Not only that, but these groups are also at higher risk of developing the disease, researchers say.
This is a tragedy. Because in cases of MCI caused by Alzheimer’s disease, “the sooner you treat it, the better the outcome,” said Dr. Soeren Mattke, director of the Center for Improving Chronic Disease Care at the University of Southern California and a co-author of both studies. ,Tell wealth. “This means that although the disease may progress slowly, every day counts.”
What to do if you are worried about MCI
Those who have memory problems—people who feel they are becoming increasingly forgetful, have difficulty keeping track of time, and/or are often lost—should bring this problem to their primary care provider. Matek said caregivers of those who are going through this change should schedule an appointment for their loved one and attend.
A primary care provider can perform a quick assessment and decide whether you or a loved one should be referred to a specialist who can perform more in-depth cognitive testing, such as a neurologist or geriatrician.
The primary care provider requires some preparation before conducting an initial cognitive assessment. So if you’re looking for a medication, Mattek recommends letting your doctor’s office know when your appointment is, rather than offering them the medication out of the blue at your appointment.
If you are middle-aged or younger, you may not have MCI, which is “strongly associated with aging,” he added. The number of MCI patients in their 50s “remains very small.” It usually occurs in people 65 years and older.
The relationship between MCI and Alzheimer’s disease
Mattek said MCI is a symptom and the cause isn’t always Alzheimer’s. Still, about half of MCI cases are caused by early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved treatments to slow the progression of the disease, it’s more important than ever to see your doctor if you’re concerned.
Before lecanemab (Leqembi) received FDA approval this summer, doctors typically wouldn’t give MCI patients the physical tests needed to diagnose early-stage Alzheimer’s, such as PET scans or cerebrospinal fluid analysis, because even if they had the disease, doctors couldn’t. Slow down the progression of the disease.
Matek suggested that now that the drug has been approved, patients previously diagnosed with MCI should return to their doctors to ask whether they should be tested for Alzheimer’s disease so that treatment can be started if appropriate.
Lecanemab is like “Drano for the brain,” requiring an intravenous infusion at a medical center perhaps as often as every two weeks, he said. While it cannot reverse the condition (lost brain cells cannot be regenerated), it can clear amyloid plaques and tau tangles from the brain, slowing the progression of the disease.
While the treatment won’t cure the disease, it may allow some Alzheimer’s patients to “live out their biological lifespan and still recognize their spouse when they go to sleep at night.”
Mattek said it’s important for patients facing a potential Alzheimer’s diagnosis to realize that “we have treatments,” but “time is not on your side.”
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