(February 22, 2008 - Insidermedicine) Rates of cognitive impairment among elderly Americans have declined in recent years, according to research published in the online issue of the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia.

Here are some facts about detecting mild cognitive impairment from the American Academy of Neurology:

•    It is important to identify individuals who are mildly cognitively impaired but do not meet clinical criteria for dementia or Alzheimer's disease because they have a high risk of eventually progressing to these conditions.

•    Consider general cognitive screening instruments (e.g., Mini-Mental State Examination) for the detection of dementia in individuals with suspected cognitive impairment.

•    Also consider neuropsychologic batteries for identifying patients with dementia, particularly when administering them to a population at increased risk of cognitive impairment.

Researchers from the University of Michigan Medical School collected data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) on the cognitive health and other characteristics of 11,000 seniors living in the United States.

Between 1993 and 2002, the prevalence of cognitive impairment among Americans 70 years of age and older dropped from 12.2% to 8.7%. Both higher educational level and greater personal wealth were linked with a lower risk for cognitive impairment. The authors estimate that about 40% of the decrease in cognitive impairment observed during this decade was likely due to concomitant increases in education and personal wealth.

Based on their findings, the authors attribute the improvement in cognitive impairment to both increases in education and wealth as well as improvements in the treatment of health problems known to have an impact on neurological health, such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.