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Age and Ageing Advance Access originally published online on August 5, 2008
Age and Ageing 2008 37(5):497-499; doi:10.1093/ageing/afn147
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Copyright © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

Commentary

Is it time to separate subjective cognitive complaints from the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment?

Alex J. Mitchell

Leicester General Hospital, Leicester LE5 4PW and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Liaison Psychiatry, Department of Cancer & Molecular Medicine, Leicester Royal Infirmary LE1 5WW, UK

Address correspondence to: A.J. Mitchell. Tel: (+44) 0116 225 6218; Fax: (+44) 0116 2951951. Email: ajm80{at}le.ac.uk

Subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) are currently considered to be a core feature of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Yet the implications of including or excluding subjective complaints has not been previously considered. The key questions are how many health people complain of SCC compared to those with MCI? How is the epidemiology of MCI affected by the requirement for SCC? How is the prognosis of MCI influenced by SCC? and how should SCC be defined and measured? Findings to date suggest that subjective complaints are one of many variables that comprise risk in individuals with MCI. Individuals who do not have subjective complaints and might not qualify under current definitions of MCI may still have a disorder that is of clinical significance. Despite a close association, SCC may be neither necessary nor sufficient for a diagnosis of either MCI or dementia.

Keywords: subjective memory complaints, mild cognitive impairment, dementia, elderly

Received 14 February 2008; accepted in revised form 5 June 2008.


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