Men more likely to have memory, thinking problems

When it comes to remembering things, new research shows men are much more likely than women to have mild cognitive impairment, the transition stage before dementia.
 
“This is one of the first studies to determine the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment among men and women who have been randomly selected from a community to participate in the study,” said study author Dr Rosebud Roberts, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Mild cognitive impairment can also be described as impairment in memory or other thinking skills beyond what’s expected for a person’s age and education. In some cases, it can be a first step towards dementia.
 
The study found men were one-and-a-half times more likely to have mild cognitive impairment than women. The finding remained the same regardless of a man’s education or marital status.
 
“These findings are in contrast to studies which have found more women than men (or an equal proportion) have dementia, and suggest there’s a delayed progression to dementia in men,” said Dr Roberts. “Alternately, women may develop dementia at a faster rate than men.”
 
Results of the study were presented at the American Academy of Neurology 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago.