Risk factors for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and the relationship between Mild Cognitive Impairment with the severity of the disease

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relationship that exists between the progress of PD and the development or not of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), in addition to its risk factors in the Mexican population. Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease. Its risk factors for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are: age, years, disease progression, severity of motor symptoms, depression, less education, and hallucinations. Methods: Descriptive, analytical, and cross-sectional research. Patients who attended a consultation at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico City, between the years 2014–2017, who had a previous diagnosis of PD, were included. Taking data from risk factors for MCI. Taking the MoCA scales (less than 23 points for MCI), [12] The Hamilton rating scale for Depression (14 points or more for depression diagnosis), [14] and the MDS-UPDRS scale dividing into mild, moderate and severe according to the score obtained in each of its parts of the previous scale. [13]. Results: 40 patients were included in the study. The analysis of the correlation coefficient between MCI and the degree of severity of PD showed not have a codependency, and are not statistically significant. Risk factors such as age in years, disease progression in years, and years of education of the patients, weren't statistical significant, only the years of education showed a moderate and statistically significant association. The presence of hallucinations and depression, increase the risk to MCI, but aren't statistical significant too. Conclusion: PD patients in the studied population of the National Institute of Neurology and Neuropsychiatry between the years 2014–2017 who met the criteria for the study, showed that their clinical characteristics in correspondence with the degree of severity of the disease are not related with the presence of MCI. Likewise, it was found that a possible risk factor for presenting MCI is low education. However, there is still a doubt as to whether the results of MCI are properly due to presenting the impairment, or because the patients did not adequately understand the test that was applied to them due to their low education level. It was shown that the presence of hallucinations and depression in PD increase the relative risk for MCI, although without statistical significance.