Occurrence and risk factors of mild cognitive impairment in the older Chinese population: a 3-year follow-up study

Objective To investigate the occurrence and risk factors of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the conversion rates to dementia in Chinese people over 80?years of age. Methods Two hundred and two participants (>80?years old) without dementia were assessed clinically using neuropsychological tests; they were re-assessed at 1, 2, and 3?years. Results The results revealed that 30.2% of the study population was classified as having MCI at baseline. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that coronary heart disease, hypertension, and stroke were risk factors of MCI. During the 3?years follow-up, the occurrence of MCI increased, and 21.8% of the participants with MCI progressed to dementia. Conclusions These results suggest that in the older elderly, prevention and early treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases may be effective in lowering the risk of MCI. MCI is a high risk factor for dementia. Copyright (c) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.