Prevalence of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Individuals Aged over 65 in a Rural Area in North Greece

There are no data available on the prevalence of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in Greece, and the existing information about dementia shows important variations depending on the geographical setting as well as the methodology employed. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of MCI in individuals aged over 65 in a rural area in the north part of Greece. From 1428 residents, 678 were finally examined, with a mean age of 73.35 years. Assessments, including neuropsychological testing, neurological examination and medical history, were used to assign a diagnosis of normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), with or without depression, depression or dementia according to suitable criteria. A questionnaire was also used to obtain social and demographic data. The 26.3% were classified as Mild Cognitive Impaired without depression, the 8.8% as Mild Cognitive Impaired due to depression, 5.9% had sole depression, the 2.4% were diagnosed with dementia and 56.6% had normal mental status. The observed prevalence for MCI with and without depression implies a total of 35.1% of all people aged over 65 with MCI in the study area. Mild cognitive impairment is more prevalent in Greece than dementia, and its subtypes vary in prevalence.