Do you lose your words or forget small things? What disorder are you at risk of?

The term mild cognitive impairment maybe it alienates you and you are not alone. The majority of adults are not aware of the situation affects more than 18% of people over 60 years and may lead to Alzheimer's disease according to new research.

It is estimated that in the US the percentage of those who ignore the term mild cognitive impairment exceeds 80% of the population.

Patients with mild cognitive impairment experience mild memory impairment or difficulty making decisions, but their daily activities remain intact. They can, for example, cook, drive, do not disorient, take care of themselves, take their medication.

The most common type of mild cognitive impairment is amnesia, where patients can not retrieve recent information but easily describe autobiographical events.

The age of the patient is an important factor for the correct diagnosis. Experts explain that cognitive impairment disorders must be incompatible with the patient's age and natural aging in order to be diagnosed.

A study by the American Alzheimer's Society states that approximately 30% of those with mild cognitive impairment develop Alzheimer's disease within five years.

In order to gain an in-depth understanding of Americans' awareness of mild cognitive impairment, the Alzheimer's Disease Society conducted a survey (online and by telephone) of 2.400 adults and 801 physicians at the end of 2021.

It was observed that over 80% of the participants were unfamiliar with the mild cognitive disorder. However, when informed of what exactly this attenuation was, more than 40% of respondents expressed concern that they would develop the disorder in the future.

According to the findings of the research, most of the respondents confused the mild cognitive disorder with the normal old age. Also 85% said that they would like to know in time if they are at risk of the disease in order to take measures to save their mental state.

The oxymoron is that the same adults seemed reluctant to see a doctor if they developed symptoms. Only 40% answered that they would immediately inform their doctor in case of symptoms of mild cognitive impairment.

Excuses for delayed medical attention included the fear of a misdiagnosis, the revelation of a serious medical problem, or the expectation that the symptoms would "pass."

Many factors contribute to cognitive impairment, according to research. In fact, some of the risk factors are reversible such as e.g. drug side effects, insufficient sleep, anxiety disorder, but also thyroid dysfunction. The same is true if there are pathological conditions at the base of the disorder such as hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes. However, some risk factors, such as latent neurodegenerative disorder, worsen and signal greater risk with age.

Experts emphasize that even if the idea of ​​visiting our doctor scares us, it is the first and most important step in case we notice signs of cognitive impairment in our loved ones.

Source: ygeiamou.gr