Mild Behavioural Impairment (MBI) and Risk of Dementia

FERNANDO E. TARAGANO, RICARDO ALLEGRI, HUGO KRUPITZKI, DIEGO SARASOLA, CECILIA M. SERRANO, COSTANTINE LYKETSOS

Chicago

Congreso; Meeting American Academy of Neurology 2008; 2008

American Academy of Neurology

OBJECTIVE: To compare MCI and MBI patients and to estimate the risk of dementia development in these two groups. BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional state between normal ageing and dementia, at least for some patients. Behavioural symptoms in MCI are associated with a higher risk of dementia, but their association with dementia risk in patients without MCI is unknown. Mild Behavioural Impairment (MBI) refers to a late life syndrome with prominent psychiatric and related behavioural symptoms in the absence of memory symptoms and which may also be a dementia prodrome. DESIGN/METHODS: Consecutive series of 358 patients (239 with MCI; and 119 with MBI but not MCI) presenting to an outpatient general hospital speciality clinic and followed for up to 5 years until conversion to dementia or censoring. RESULTS: 34% of MCI patients and over 70% of patients with MBI developed dementia (Logrank p=0.004), for an average monthly incidence of dementia of 1.2% vs. 2.1%, respectively. MBI patients were more likely to develop dementia due to frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) as opposed to Alzheimer´s dementia (AD). CONCLUSIONS/RELEVANCE: MBI appears to be a transitional state between normal ageing and dementia. MBI may confer a higher risk for dementia than MCI. A subgroup of MBI patient is likely exhibiting the symptoms of an FTD prodrome. These findings have implications for the early detection, prevention, and treatment of patients with dementia in late life.