October 25, 2023 – Most individuals with mild considering problems, which might be early signs of dementia, don't receive a diagnosis during a primary care visit and should miss preventive treatments, based on researchers on the University of Southern California.
An estimated 99% of primary care physicians diagnose mild cognitive impairment (MCI), based on a knowledge evaluation of 200,000 primary care physicians by USC researchers. The most typical sign of MCI is forgetfulness, but mild personality changes and problems with efficiency or getting things done are other signs.
According to this, between 10 and 15% of individuals with MCI develop dementia yearly Alzheimer's Association.
“There are actually only a tiny fraction of physicians capable of diagnosing MCI who would detect these cases early enough for maximum therapeutic potential,” said researcher Soeren Mattke, MD, director of the Brain Health Observatory at USC, in a single opinion. “For MCI, which is caused by Alzheimer’s disease, the earlier you treat, the better the results. This means that even if the disease progresses slowly, every day counts.”
The research will appear within the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Preventionsays a press release from the university.
The lack of a diagnosis could also be attributable to someone not noticing their very own decline and subsequently not bringing it up during a visit. The signs could also be so subtle that a physician may not notice them, or there will not be enough time during a visit to debate or assess brain health, based on the USC study summary.
A separate evaluation published Last summer, it was estimated that 7.4 million individuals with MCI within the United States remain undiagnosed, meaning that only 8% of individuals with MCI are aware that they might be in danger or further cognitive decline, and are in search of options can try to forestall this.