Does mild cognitive impairment always lead to dementia?

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) progresses to dementia when a person with MCI experiences irreversible cognitive changes that affect daily activities and regular tasks, such as housework.​

While Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) does not always lead to dementia, older people with MCI may experience noticeable problems with their mental functioning and are at greater risk of developing dementia later in life. Consequently, many researchers and healthcare professionals treat MCI as an opportunity to try to stop or delay the progression to dementia.​

Predicting whether MCI will lead to dementia depends on the cause of MCI; some people with MCI may remain stable and possibly even improve, no longer showing any signs or symptoms.​

The ability to predict whether a person with MCI will go on to develop dementia would help earlier diagnosis and provide them with adequate treatments and support.​

However, there are various strategies that can be adopted to reduce the risk of developing MCI and dementia.​