Mild Cognitive Impairment: How Do They Manifest?

Mild cognitive impairment can make it difficult to remember some names or specific words.

Mild cognitive impairment is a condition that is often confused with dementia. In fact, some experts consider it to be an early stage of dementia, while others classify it as an independent pathology.

It is a disease in which cognitive functions such as memory, language and thinking are impaired to a greater extent than it is with normal aging.

Mild cognitive impairment affects a large part of the population today. It is estimated that it appears with age and covers almost 40% of the elderly over 85 years of age. In fact, women are more likely to develop it than men.

This pathology is still under investigation, but progress in its diagnosis and possible treatments is increasing every day. Therefore, in this article, we explain everything you need to know about mild cognitive impairment.

What are mild cognitive impairment?

As we age, the brain, as well as our entire body, also changes. It is relatively normal for some aspects, such as memory, to be slightly affected by aging.

However, people with mild cognitive impairment often find that their cognitive functions are severely limited. As mentioned above, some of these functions include memory, thinking, and language. For example, the person with MCI may need more time to remember the person’s name or specific word.

However, these changes usually do not interfere with the person’s daily activities. This is the main difference to dementia.  Mild cognitive impairment allows people to carry out normal activities.

On the other hand, people with dementia have more difficulties, such as having problems with tasks that were once easy for them.

Some experts say that such a decline in health increases the risk of developing dementia in the future, whether it is Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia. The truth is, however, that some people with mild cognitive impairment never develop dementia.

What are the symptoms?

As we said, people with mild cognitive impairment have problems that go beyond those associated with normal aging. Some of them are:

• Tendency to forget things such as appointments or important events more often.
• Tendency to get lost in conversation and have difficulty following a movie or reading books.

• Planning activities or making decisions seems more complicated.
• Certain symptoms of depression, anxiety or apathy.

It is normal for family members or loved ones to notice these changes. It is important in such a situation to try to calm the person so as not to aggravate their confusion and negative emotions. Consultation with a doctor is also necessary.

What are the symptomatic differences compared with dementia?

People with dementia have more severe symptoms that affect their daily life. First, memory loss is often more pronounced, and even remembering the names of family members can be difficult. This is called amnesia.

Secondly, the sense of orientation is disturbed, which causes that these people tend to get lost even on the paths they know. It’s also easier to lose your personal belongings or household items.

People with dementia may experience a loss of interest in anything they used to be interested in. This phenomenon is also called abulia. It is even normal to change behavior and deteriorate social skills.

How is mild cognitive impairment diagnosed?

The diagnosis of this pathology is complex, as there are no specific tests that can confirm it. However, there are certain criteria and tests that can help make a diagnosis in addition to the symptoms we’ve already mentioned.

For example, doctors perform a mental state analysis with tests like the Mini Mental State Examination. This is a survey in which the person is asked to answer a few simple questions, such as saying a date or carrying out tasks based on directions.

These tests take approximately 10 minutes and allow the doctor to compare a person’s mental functioning with others of a similar age.

Summary

If you believe that you or someone around you has mild cognitive impairment, do not hesitate to consult a doctor or psychologist as they will be able to make an appropriate assessment and suggest some measures to help you cope with the situation.