Is there any real difference between 'mild cognitive impairment' and early stage dementia

[falstaff1980]

My mother has been diagnosed with the former, but when I read about the symptoms of the latter it does fit well with my mother. She does get defensive when her memory fails her or is struggling to do something she used to be able to do on the computer, as if she's right and it's all come conspiracy against her. Was furious with the online bank for changing their login security procedures the other week, talking about phoning them up to complain.

I'm watching with interest. This is affecting my family too

My DM was diagnosed with MCI about 3 years before the dementia diagnosis, but it was obvious to me it was the start of it. I remember the doctor saying it would not be classed as dementia as she was just forgetting stuff, repeating herself a lot and couldn't learn new things. It was only when she started getting lost when out alone and close to home that the diagnosis came.

Yes same as PP my dad went to the memory clinic a few years ago and diagnosed with MCI, one or two years later same memory clinic we got dementia diagnosis. He’s in a care home at the age of 78 which is a bit sad as PILS are same age and still living independently and doing great

MCI is a precursor to dementia. The beginning of it.
People with this diagnosis go on to very a diagnosis of dementia

To GET a diagnosis, sorry.

MCI reverses in 15%, there is a higher risk of dementia in people with MCI but not inevitable

My father was diagnosed with MCI several years ago, but is not yet considered to have dementia. His short term memory is OK - if I go out of the room, he'll remember I've gone and why. He knows what all his medications are. But he's struggles with time, he fantabulises, he doesn't have capacity to make most decisions.

MCI doesn't necessarily progress to dementia

THough I suspect my father's cognitive impairment has gone a long way beyond mild.

Thanks everyone, this is helpful to know. Fingers crossed she's got a few years left of relative independence then.

Also reading with interest. My DM hasn't got a diagnosis of eiither yet, but she's had a memory test and been referred on for further testing (though that was a couple of months ago and no sign of an appointment yet). In many conversations you'd hardly notice anything wrong, but if you know her well there are many signs of change. Lots of repeated stories, repeated questions sometimes 30 seconds after the first time, difficulty finding basic words, occasionally forgetting a familiar skill or finding it very stressful to work through a simple task, social anxiety and withdrawal, short temperedness, inability to let go of little obsessions, loss of judgment over decisions and finances etc. No single big thing, but lots of little ones. When you look at her from a distance it seems way off to suggest she might need help - but without my dad there I think she'd actually be incapable of living alone. I have no idea what diagnosis she'll eventually get, though, if any.

MCI usually means cognitive impairment indicating that this is over and above what would be expected for age (as functioning does decrease a bit as one ages) but not significant enough and / or widespread enough to warrant a diagnosis of dementia.

Lots of studies have tried to ascertain what % of people with MCI go on to get dementia, but results vary wildly. Possibly because the sample used differs. (Eg some may look at one type of dementia, others exclude people with x y or z difficulties).

Some people get an MCI diagnosis because other (functional) factors affect cognition - such as depression / anxiety, pain, stress along with perhaps a bit of organic brain changes (or maybe not - technically I think this should be diagnosed as Functional MCI, but in reality I think it just gets lumped under MCI). If you deal with the functional stuff and improve this, then yup you are likely to see improvement in cognition.

At the other end of the scale are those people who I find have significant deficit in memory but not much else (so language attention, exec functioning etc aren’t too bad) so may not meet the criteria for a dementia diagnosis as difficulties are not widespread enough. These group of people, in my experience, tend to be more likely to end up with a dementia.

I have seen some people with MCI for years and years without deteriorating though (I wouldn’t seen those who get better as they wouldn’t present at a clinic !)

While a proportion of those with MCI do go on to a dementia diagnosis, In many areas there is no automatic review or follow up. So if your Mum deteriorates make sure you go back to the gp.