Mild Cognitive Impairment consensus published

Top clinicians and dementia experts from the NHS, universities, pharmaceutical organisations and charities have today published their consensus on Mild Cognitive Impairment

The University of Manchester and Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, through its Dementia United programme, spearheaded the review, which calls for a fresh focus on how Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)should be recognised, diagnosed, and treated. The review is published in the medical journal Age and Ageing.

MCI is an umbrella term given to a noticeable and measurable change in a person’s memory or thinking, which does not interfere with activities of their daily life. Currently the syndrome is diagnosed based on symptoms alone. While around ten to 15 percent of those living with MCI go on to develop dementia per year, a significant proportion will remain stable or improve, making this confusing and challenging for patients and doctors alike. This new review lays out three key areas to consider as we think and deal with MCI.

  • MCI should be recognised as a clinical syndrome caused by different underlying diseases.
  • Clinicians should try their best to provide patients with an explanation for their symptoms. This will vary from patient to patient, but in many cases it may be appropriate to use scans, lumbar punctures and other tests to try and make as accurate and early diagnosis as possible.
  • There should be national guidance on dealing with MCI to provide consistency to clinicians and the patients they treat.

Any future treatments are likely to need to be given early in the disease process, making a strategy for dealing with MCI even more important.

The authors also recommend that those with MCI should be routinely offered the opportunity to participate in clinical trials and other research studies, citing the national Join Dementia Research service, which is partnered with Alzheimer’s Research UK and Alzheimer’s Society.

You can read more on the Alzheimer Research UK’s website 

You can also read a blog on MCI on the Alzheimer Research UK’s website