Neurologists View MCI as a Useful Clinical Diagnosis – Practice Guidelines Are Needed
JULY 16, 2009Jason Karlawish, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics, and Associate Scholar, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and colleagues presented findings at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) from a survey of American Academy of Neurology (AAN) members that assessed how neurologists are diagnosing and treating patients with mild cognitive symptoms. Results show that neurologists regularly see and treat people with MCI, despite the fact that the medications they are prescribing are not FDA-approved for this particular diagnostic category. According to the researchers, "clinicians vary greatly in the education and support they provide or recommend for people with MCI, suggesting that there is a need for practice guidelines in this area. Millions of people can be classified as having MCI, and these numbers are expected to rise in coming years. It is important to establish professional consensus about appropriate care for this population."
