INTRODUCTION
Dementia is a syndrome caused by various diseases, featured by memory deterioration, thinking difficulties, behavior problems and impaired ability to perform everyday activities. The number of people actually living with dementia worldwide is estimated around 50 million.(1) It has long been considered as a condition which can not be prevented or cured, although recently progress has been made towards its diagnosis, treatment and management, resulting in better quality of life for affected patients and their carers.(2) Unlike dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) does not significantly hinder persons’ daily activities. It is considered a level of transition into evolving dementia; therefore, its early detection might help in selecting individuals at high risk for developing dementia and begin interventions aimed at slowing progressive deficits. (3)
The diagnosis of dementia and mild cognitive impairment usually involves complete neuropsychological assessment of certain cognitive domains (executive functioning, complex attention, language, memory and learning, perception and motor functioning, social cognition). In cases when neuropsychological assessment is unavailable, one or more standardized tests are administered including the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Mini-Cog. Interpretation of their results should consider patient’s age and education level, and ideally his culture, linguistic group and geographical area too. (4)
Recent studies have identified significant gaps in dementia´s epidemiology, especially regarding its incidence in low- and middle-income countries. Precise assessments of prevalence and incidence of dementia, as well as MCI, are of utmost importance for planning necessary health and social services required by an aging population.(5)
The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment and dementia by applying three different tests for their early diagnosis among older Albanian patients and to find correlates with socio-demographic and medical factors.