Vascular risk factors in mild cognitive impairment subtypes. Findings from the ReGAl project

Abstract Background and Aim: To investigate the role of vascular risk factors in different subtypes of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in a multicentric, clinic-based, cross-sectional study. Methods: Two-hundred and seven subjects with MCI were included in the study: 33 with single non-memory MCI (snmMCI), 42 with multiple-domain amnestic MCI (mdMCI-a) and 132 with amnestic MCI (aMCI). Several clinical vascular risk factors and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain lesions were evaluated. Results: snmMCI showed a higher frequency of ischaemic heart disease and of transient ischaemic attack (TIA)/stroke, a higher Hachinski ischaemic score and a higher frequency of white-matter lesions on MRI compared to aMCI. Subjects with mdMCI-a showed clinical characteristics similar to aMCI, except for a higher frequency of a history of TIA/stroke. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that snmMCI may be considered a vascular cognitive disorder.