INFLUENZA DELL'INDICE DI MASSA CORPOREA SUL RISCHIO DI PROGRESSIONE DA MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT A DEMENZA

To assess Body Mass Index (BMI) as a predictor of progression to dementia, 228 subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were followed-up for 2,4±1,6 years. Dementia occurred in 117 subjects. Cumulative incidence (CI) of dementia was significantly higher (p=0.006) among MCI who were underweight (BMI<20 kg/m2) at baseline (CI=81.0%) as compared to MCI who were normal weight (CI=53.2%) or overweight/obese (BMI>25 kg/m2) (CI=42.9%). Being underweight significantly increased the risk of dementia (HR 2.4; 95% CI 1.2-5.1) but not that of Alzheimer’s disease (HR 2.3; 95% CI 0.9-5.6). BMI assessment may help improving prognostic accuracy of MCI in clinical practice.