Men are more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than women, study claims

The study of 2,050 people aged 70-89 living in Olmstead County, Minnesota found MCI was 1.5 times higher in men than women with 19 percent of men having MCI compared to 14 percent of women. The study also found that people with a low level of education or who had never married also had a higher rate of MCI. MCI includes problems with memory or thinking beyond that explained by the normal rate of aging and often leads to Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's Society comment:

'Increasing our understanding of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) could help us unravel the many mysteries still surrounding Alzheimer's disease and move us closer to treatments and a cure. This exciting new research is a real development in this field and provides the first evidence that men could be more susceptible to MCI than women. However it also poses many new questions about why.

One in three people over 65 will die with dementia yet dementia research remains drastically underfunded. Only through more research can we find out more about MCI and how its relationship with Alzheimer's disease. We must invest now.'

Dr Susanne Sorensen
Head of Research
Alzheimer's Society

Research Reference: 'Prevalence of mild cognitive impairment is higher in men' by Ronald Petersen et al in Neurology 7 September 2010