AlaskaDenise
In Memoriam
By Kathleen Fackelmann, USA TODAY
Nearly one of four people over age 70 experience mild forgetfulness that can disrupt the ability to carry out daily routines, a study reports today.
These people don't have full dementia or Alzheimer's, but they do have symptoms of mild cognitive impairment, such as confusion and some memory loss, says Brenda Plassman, a psychologist at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
People with this form of memory loss might forget an appointment now and then, but they don't have the severe memory loss that characterizes Alzheimer's, she says.
The study, which was done from July 2001 through March 2005, found that 5.4 million people older than 70 had some form of mild memory loss. Plassman says the number will increase as the boomers start turning 70 and begin to experience brain fog.
"This is a big problem now, and it is going to get even bigger," says William Thies, vice president of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer's Association.
In some cases, mild difficulties with memory can be the first symptoms of Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia, such as vascular dementia, which is often triggered by a series of small strokes.
In the study, 12% of patients with mild memory problems went on to develop some form of dementia each year.
People with mild cognitive impairment often can live independently, but they might need increasing help from friends and family members, she says.
For example, an elderly parent might suddenly need help making decisions, or he or she might become vulnerable to financial scams or fraud.
The study of 856 elderly people appears in today's Annals of Internal Medicine.
The study also found that nearly one-quarter of the people who experienced mild memory loss also had a chronic medical condition such as heart disease or diabetes.
The memory problems might make it hard for elderly patients to manage a chronic condition, Thies says. For example, patients who forget to take their diabetes medication might take a turn for the worse and end up in the emergency room.
Such medical problems might even be the cause of the memory loss, Plassman says. She says that in some cases, people with clogged arteries can experience forgetfulness caused when blood flow to the brain slows.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-03-17-elderly-memory-loss_N.htm
Nearly one of four people over age 70 experience mild forgetfulness that can disrupt the ability to carry out daily routines, a study reports today.
These people don't have full dementia or Alzheimer's, but they do have symptoms of mild cognitive impairment, such as confusion and some memory loss, says Brenda Plassman, a psychologist at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
People with this form of memory loss might forget an appointment now and then, but they don't have the severe memory loss that characterizes Alzheimer's, she says.
The study, which was done from July 2001 through March 2005, found that 5.4 million people older than 70 had some form of mild memory loss. Plassman says the number will increase as the boomers start turning 70 and begin to experience brain fog.
"This is a big problem now, and it is going to get even bigger," says William Thies, vice president of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer's Association.
In some cases, mild difficulties with memory can be the first symptoms of Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia, such as vascular dementia, which is often triggered by a series of small strokes.
In the study, 12% of patients with mild memory problems went on to develop some form of dementia each year.
People with mild cognitive impairment often can live independently, but they might need increasing help from friends and family members, she says.
For example, an elderly parent might suddenly need help making decisions, or he or she might become vulnerable to financial scams or fraud.
The study of 856 elderly people appears in today's Annals of Internal Medicine.
The study also found that nearly one-quarter of the people who experienced mild memory loss also had a chronic medical condition such as heart disease or diabetes.
The memory problems might make it hard for elderly patients to manage a chronic condition, Thies says. For example, patients who forget to take their diabetes medication might take a turn for the worse and end up in the emergency room.
Such medical problems might even be the cause of the memory loss, Plassman says. She says that in some cases, people with clogged arteries can experience forgetfulness caused when blood flow to the brain slows.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-03-17-elderly-memory-loss_N.htm
