Nearly 7.5 million older Americans are predicted to have mild cognitive impairment (MCI)—a potential early sign of Alzheimer’s disease—but don’t know it.
That’s according to new research from the University of Southern California, whose researchers have recently published two papers on the topic.
In the first, published in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, researchers analyzed data from 40 million Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older and compared the number diagnosed with the condition to the number they would expect to be diagnosed. About 8 million Americans in that group likely have MCI, they predicted—about 13% of the country’s senior population or 1 in 7 seniors. But only 600,000 had received a proper medical diagnosis.
A second study, published Tuesday in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, also found that MCI is “vastly underdiagnosed,” with 99.9% of U.S. primary care clinicians not sufficiently catching cases. Only about 8% of U.S. residents with the condition have been diagnosed, researchers concluded after crunching the numbers on data from nearly 250,000 U.S. doctors.
Nearly 7.5 million older Americans are likely living with MCI unaware, researchers say. It’s a problem they’d like to solve for a couple of reasons: Contrary to popular belief, MCI isn’t a part of the normal aging process. And recently approved drugs may help preserve cognitive function in patients in the early stages of decline—but not in later stages.
While detection of the condition is generally poor in the U.S., it’s even worse among patients from historically disadvantaged groups—including Black and Hispanic Americans, and those with less education. Not only that, but the risk of developing the condition is also higher in such groups as well, researchers say.
And that’s a tragedy. Because in cases of MCI caused by Alzheimer’s disease, “the earlier you treat, the better the outcomes,” Dr. Soeren Mattke, director of the Center for Improving Chronic Illness Care at the University of Southern California and a co-author on both studies, tells Fortune. “This means even though the disease may be slowly progressing, every day counts.”
What to do if you’re concerned about MCI
Those who have memory concerns—who sense they’re becoming more forgetful, having difficulty keeping track of time, and/or getting lost more often—should bring the subject up to their primary care provider. Those who are a caregiver of someone experiencing such changes should schedule an appointment for their loved one and attend, Mattke says.
Primary care providers can perform a quick assessment and decide whether you or your loved one should be referred to a specialist, like a neurologist or geriatrician, who can perform more in-depth cognitive testing.