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Mild cognitive impairment: epidemiology and dementia risk in an elderly Italian population
Ravaglia G, Forti P, Montesi F, Lucicesare A, Pisacane N, Rietti E, Dalmonte E, Bianchin M et al.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2007-11-20
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objectives To investigate prevalence and incidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and its risk of progression to dementia in an elderly Italian population. Design Longitudinal. Setting Population-based cohort aged 65 and older resident in an Italian municipality. Participants A total of 1,016 subjects underwent baseline evaluation in 1999/2000. In 2003/04, information about cognitive outcome was collected for 745 participants who were free of dementia at baseline. Measurements MCI (classified as with or without impairment of the memory domain), dementia, Alzheimer's dementia (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD) diagnosed according to current international criteria. Results Overall prevalence of MCI was 7.7% (95% confidence interval (CI)=6.1-9.7 %) and was greater with older age and poor education. During 4 years of follow-up, 155 incident MCI cases were diagnosed, with an incidence rate of 76.8 (95% CI=66.8-88.4) per 1,000 person-years. Approximately half of prevalent and incident MCI cases had memory impairment. Compared with normal cognition, multivariable-adjusted risk for progression from MCI with memory impairment to dementia was 4.78 (95% CI=2.78-8.07) for any dementia, 5.92 (95% CI=3.20-10.91) for AD, and 1.61 (95% CI=0.37-7.00) for VaD. No association with dementia risk was found for MCI without memory impairment. Approximately one-third of MCI cases with memory impairment did not progress to dementia. Conclusion MCI occurs often in this elderly Italian cohort and is associated with greater risk of AD, but only when the impairment involves the memory domain. However, a substantial proportion of MCI cases with memory impairment do not progress to dementia.
Key findings
- Results Overall prevalence of MCI was 7.7% (95% confidence interval (CI)=6.1-9.7 %) and was greater with older age and poor education.
- Compared with normal cognition, multivariable-adjusted risk for progression from MCI with memory impairment to dementia was 4.78 (95% CI=2.78-8.07) for any dementia, 5.92 (95% CI=3.20-10.91) for AD, and 1.61 (95% CI=0.37-7.00) for VaD.
- Conclusion MCI occurs often in this elderly Italian cohort and is associated with greater risk of AD, but only when the impairment involves the memory domain.
Why it matters
In 745 people aged 65 and older from one Italian town, followed for about 4 years, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) that affected memory was linked to roughly 6 times the risk of Alzheimer's dementia (adjusted risk 5.92) compared with normal thinking, while MCI that did not affect memory showed no link to dementia. Even so, about one-third of people with memory-affecting MCI did not develop dementia. MCI was common: 7.7% of the population had it, and it was more frequent with older age and less education.
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants1,016
- Effect size7.7%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 63/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: journal h-index 344 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2008 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,016 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 173 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 8.7 citations a year over 20 year(s) since 2008 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 15 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 20 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Patrizia Mecocci: h-index 108 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Bologna: institution h-index 989 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 18028343) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 63 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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APA 7th
Ravaglia, G., Forti, P., Montesi, F., Lucicesare, A., Pisacane, N., Rietti, E., et al. (2008). Mild cognitive impairment: epidemiology and dementia risk in an elderly Italian population. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01503.x
Vancouver
Ravaglia G, Forti P, Montesi F, Lucicesare A, Pisacane N, Rietti E, et al. Mild cognitive impairment: epidemiology and dementia risk in an elderly Italian population. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2008. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01503.x. PMID: 18028343.
BibTeX
@article{ravaglia2008-18028343,
author = {Ravaglia, G. and Forti, P. and Montesi, F. and Lucicesare, A. and Pisacane, N. and Rietti, E. and Dalmonte, E. and Bianchin, M. and others},
title = {{Mild cognitive impairment: epidemiology and dementia risk in an elderly Italian population}},
journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01503.x},
pmid = {18028343},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01503.x}
}
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