Living with memory loss, working to fend off dementia - WaPo [View all]

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More than occasional forgetfulness, MCI (mild cognitive impairment0 causes problems that disrupt daily life but don’t make it impossible to function, said Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. It is often but not always a precursor to dementia, he added.

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A 2022 study in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia projected that 14.4 million people in the United States would have MCI in 2025, and 19.3 million in 2050. An American Academy of Neurology subcommittee estimated that about 1 in 10 people ages 70 to 74 had MCI, and 1 in 4 ages 80 to 84 in 2018. Denial about potentially worsening symptoms may be tempting, but it’s dangerous, experts said. Dershem, who grew increasingly worried about her condition, said she raised the issue three times with her primary care doctor and saw two neurologists before she was diagnosed with MCI.

Both patients and physicians need to be aware of the symptoms of cognitive decline,said Soeren Mattke, director of the Brain Health Observatory at the University of Southern California’s Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research. “If you wait until someone’s obviously symptomatic — like they can’t find the door to the physician’s office — you’re going to be too late.”

If you notice a significant decline in memory, reduced ability to absorb new information or understand social cues (like getting angry about a joke that wouldn’t have been upsetting in the past), or an uptick in clumsiness in yourself or someone close to you, it may be time to talk to a doctor. Research published last year suggests approximately 92 percent of people with MCI are undiagnosed. After analyzing data from 40 million Medicare recipients aged 65 and older, the authors of the study in the journal Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy found that only about 600,000 of the expected 8 million affected by MCI had been identified.

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Since February 2023, Weisman has been treating Dershem with lecanemab (brand name Leqembi), which federal regulators approved last year to treat MCI and early Alzheimer’s disease. Lecanemab reduces the buildup of amyloid beta, a protein in the brain that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. Clinical trials have shown it can modestly slow dementia’s progress but can’t stop the decline or make up for lost ground.

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