Neurological abnormalities in cognitively impaired but not demented elderly

Objective - We determined the prevalence and clinical characteristics of el derly people with cognitively impaired but not demented (CIND) in the commu nity. Material and methods - We examined 945 elderly residents (aged 65 yea rs or more) in a cross-sectional study of a standardized clinical examinati on in 27 randomly selected communities in the town of Mifune, a standard fa rming town in Japan. Results - The prevalence of CIND and dementia were 10. 8% and 4.8%. respectively, with both rates increasing with age. The frequen cy of most neurological signs in CIND elderly was greater than that found i n subjects with no cognitive impairment (NCI) and less than that in subject s with dementia. The mean ADL disability score in CIND subjects also lay be tween the mean values for those with NCI and those with dementia. There wer e no differences in lifestyles between the CIND group and the other groups. Conclusion The results suggest that a majority of CIND elderly suffer from brain dysfunction due to chronic neurological disorders or aging itself.