The prevalence of mild cognitive impairment in Latin America and the Caribbean: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objectives The population of Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) is ageing rapidly, presenting the highest prevalence rates of dementia in the world. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate condition between normal ageing, Alzheimer’s disease, and related dementias. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the prevalence of MCI in LAC countries and explore factors associated with MCI (i.e. age, sex/gender, and education). Method A database search was conducted in September 2020 using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Lilacs, SciELO, EMBASE, and medRxiv for population- or community-based studies, published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Results From 2,155 screened studies, we selected reports including subjects with a precise diagnosis of MCI. A total of 11 studies met the inclusion criteria, adding up to 20,220 participants in nine countries: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Costa Rica. Estimates for all-type MCI prevalence ranged from 6.8% to 25.5% and amnestic MCI between 3.1% and 10.5%. Estimates differed by age and education, with oldest and lower-educated adults presenting higher MCI prevalence. Conclusion This first systematic review of the prevalence of MCI discusses the population strata with the highest potential to benefit from dementia risk reduction interventions in LAC countries.

Physical exercise and cognition in older adults, a scientific approach scanty reported in Latin America and Caribbean populations

“…MCI is a condition that implicates severe cognitive decline compared with the aging effects per se ; in this sense, it is known that MCI may continue until developing dementia and AD ( 29 – 32 ). The MCI (all-types) prevalence in LAC is 14.95%, values higher than those observed in high-income countries (e.g., United States and England) ( 33 ). Similar to other illnesses, several social and health factors increase the risk of developing MCI; the more commonly reported are education level, cardiometabolic diseases (i.e., hypertension, diabetes), vitamin D deficiency, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 genotype ( 29 , 32 ).…”

“…Similar to other illnesses, several social and health factors increase the risk of developing MCI; the more commonly reported are education level, cardiometabolic diseases (i.e., hypertension, diabetes), vitamin D deficiency, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 genotype ( 29 , 32 ). In regard with this, was identified that LAC shows a socioeconomic environment, that increase substantially the risk to suffer MCI ( 33 , 34 ). Considering MCI patients, and similar to healthy older adults, the protocols that include resistance exercises seem to be the most potent intervention to attenuate the disruption of the neuronal network linked with cognition ( 24 , 27 ).…”

White matter integrity and key structures affected in Alzheimer's disease characterized by diffusion tensor imaging

“…Further, limited studies on brain hemispheric asymmetry or lateralization in AD showed asymmetric neurodegeneration depending on the stages of AD and variability, and its link to pathogenesis and progression of AD is unclear (Lubben et al, 2021; Minkova et al, 2017). Additionally, the literature shows that age may have an impact on the pathogenesis of AD, whereas the impact of sex and education level is inconsistent (Fjell et al, 2014; Ribeiro et al, 2022). The present study examined the DTI measures of the WM tract throughout the brain WM tracts of AD patients and normal controls with use of data obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and any laterality of connectivity in the two hemispheres.…”

The Prevalence of Amnestic and Non-Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment and Its Association with Different Lifestyle Factors in a South Italian Elderly Population

“…In reference to the same population, Lu et al [ 12 ] reported a MCI prevalence of 12.2% (95% CI: 10.6–14.2%), also specifying a aMCI prevalence of 10.9% (95% CI: 7.7–15.4%). A wide range of MCI prevalence can be also found in a meta-analysis on derived data from nine countries, i.e., Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Costa Rica [ 13 ]; the pooled prevalence of all-type MCI across the included studies revealed a prevalence of 14.95% (95% CI: 6.81–25.52%) and a prevalence of aMCI estimated of 6.30% (95% CI: 3.09–10.54%). However, a wide gap among estimates can be observed by stratifying by age and education (i.e., prevalence ranging from 6.8% to 25.5% and between 3.1% and 10.5%, for MCI and aMCI, respectively).…”