It is normal to experience small amounts of memory loss and mental slowing with advancing age. However some people experience more significant changes. These changes can progress towards Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or even dementia.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that people who notice memory problems, or Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) are at increased risk of developing dementia. If you are noticing changes in memory and thinking you should discuss your symptoms with your doctor, who can check for many different cause, like thyroid conditions, medication issues, and various diseases. You can also get tested for early signs of cognitive decline, but to date there is no definitive test that predicts dementia. .
Dementia is much more than just memory loss. It is a debilitating and progressive. Dementia is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States today. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, followed by Vascular dementia and other types.
The diagnosis of dementia is made when a person's symptoms become severe enough to seriously affect their everyday life. However we now know that the underlying disease process begins many years, even decades, before that point is reached. For example, beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles can be found in the brain years before dementia is diagnosed. Consistent with this, many people begin to notice problems with their memory and ability to think clearly many years before they can be diagnosed with dementia. In practice we see a continuum from subjective cognitive decline (SCD) to Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to eventual dementia. Of course some people with cognitive decline do not go on to develop dementia. However among those diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment, between 5-10% develop Alzheimer's disease or Vascular Dementia each year.
At present there is no effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular Dementia. However efforts to prevent or delay onset of dementia show promise. It is estimated that about 30-40% of risk of dementia is due to modifiable risk factors.
