Progression to dementia in clinical subtypes of mild cognitive impairment

Objective: To examine the outcome among patients diagnosed with different types of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Patients: A follow-up examination ( average follow-up period: 3.49 +/- 2.2 years) was performed in 81 cognitively impaired, non-demented patients aged >55 years at baseline. Results: 8 of 32 patients with amnestic MCI (25%), 22 of 41 patients with multiple-domain MCI (54%), and 3 of 8 patients with single non-memory MCI (37.5%) progressed to dementia. The clinical type of MCI is significantly associated with the likelihood of conversion to dementia. Discussion: When the clinical syndrome of MCI evolves on a neurodegenerative basis, the multiple-domain type of MCI has a less favorable prognosis than the amnestic type and may represent a more advanced prodromal stage of dementia. Copyright (C) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.