Home › Research › Prevention and risk
Mild cognitive impairment in general practice: age-specific prevalence and correlate results from the German study on ageing, cognition and dementia in primary care patients (AgeCoDe)
Luck T, Riedel-Heller SG, Kaduszkiewicz H, Bickel H, Jessen F, Pentzek M, Wiese B, Koelsch H et al.. Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders, 2007-09-11
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Although mild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents a high-risk factor for developing dementia, little is known about the prevalence of MCI among patients of general practitioners (GPs). Aims Estimation of age-specific prevalence for original and modified concepts of MCI and their association with sociodemographic, medical and genetic (apoE epsilon4 genotype) factors among patients of GPs. Methods A GP practice sample of 3,327 individuals aged 75+ was assessed by structured clinical interviews. Results Prevalence was 15.4% (95% CI = 14.1-16.6) for original and 25.2% (95% CI = 23.7-26.7) for modified MCI. Rates increased significantly with older age. Positive associations were found for apoE epsilon4 allele, vascular diseases and depressive symptoms. Conclusion MCI is frequent in elderly patients of GPs. GPs have a key position in secondary prevention and care of incipient cognitive deterioration up to the diagnosis of dementia.
Key findings
- Results Prevalence was 15.4% (95% CI = 14.1-16.6) for original and 25.2% (95% CI = 23.7-26.7) for modified MCI.
- Rates increased significantly with older age.
Why it matters
This study found that mild cognitive impairment was frequent among elderly general practice patients, with prevalence of 15.4% for the original concept and 25.2% for a modified concept, and rates increased with older age. It describes how common MCI is and does not test any treatment or prevention.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Prevention →
Study details
- Participants3,327
- Effect size15.4%; 25.2%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 50/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders: journal h-index 149 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2007 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 3,327 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 190 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 9.0 citations a year over 21 year(s) since 2007 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 6.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 10 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Siegfried B. Weyerer: h-index 59 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Technical University of Munich: institution h-index 1,092 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 7 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 17848793) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 50 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Luck, T., Riedel-Heller, S. G., Kaduszkiewicz, H., Bickel, H., Jessen, F., Pentzek, M., et al. (2007). Mild cognitive impairment in general practice: age-specific prevalence and correlate results from the German study on ageing, cognition and dementia in primary care patients (AgeCoDe). Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders. https://doi.org/10.1159/000108099
Vancouver
Luck T, Riedel-Heller SG, Kaduszkiewicz H, Bickel H, Jessen F, Pentzek M, et al. Mild cognitive impairment in general practice: age-specific prevalence and correlate results from the German study on ageing, cognition and dementia in primary care patients (AgeCoDe). Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders. 2007. doi:10.1159/000108099. PMID: 17848793.
BibTeX
@article{luck2007-17848793,
author = {Luck, T. and Riedel-Heller, S. G. and Kaduszkiewicz, H. and Bickel, H. and Jessen, F. and Pentzek, M. and Wiese, B. and Koelsch, H. and others},
title = {{Mild cognitive impairment in general practice: age-specific prevalence and correlate results from the German study on ageing, cognition and dementia in primary care patients (AgeCoDe)}},
journal = {Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders},
year = {2007},
doi = {10.1159/000108099},
pmid = {17848793},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1159/000108099}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
6 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.