Clinical and Demographic Predictors of Conversion to Dementia in Mexican Elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered a clinical stage between normal cognitive aging and dementia. The clinical course of MCI is heterogeneous, with a significant number of cases progressing to dementia or reverting back to normal.

Objective: To determine the predictors of conversion from mild cognitive impairment to dementia among Mexican older adults.

Materials And Methods: A sample of 175 persons underwent clinical and neuropsychological evaluation to establish mild cognitive impairment diagnosis. These patients were followed-up for a mean 3.5 years.

Results: Mean age was 81.7 (± 6.9) years, 57% were women, and mean education level was 9.5 (± 6.1) years. Sixty-one percent of mild cognitive impairment participants progressed to dementia. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that progression to dementia was associated with age (HR: 4.95; 95% CI: 1.96-12.46; p = 0.001), low education level (HR: 5.81; 95% CI: 1.90-7.78; p < 0.002), history of stroke (HR: 3.92; 95% CI: 1.37-11.16; p < 0.012) and cognitive decline (HR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.18-1.45; p = 0.000).

Conclusions: Age, poor education, cognitive decline, and a history of stroke were predictors of conversion to dementia. The identification and control of modifiable risk factors could influence conversion to dementia.