Measurement bias in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and other screening tools might inflate rates among minorities. Racial/ethnic minorities are disproportionately at risk for dementia African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to develop AD and other dementias than their non-Hispanic White counterparts, likely because of differences in underlying risk factors,. By diagnosing MCI, health care professionals can act to control cardiovascular risk factors, increase exercise, and initiate cognitive training interventions that may reduce progression from MCI to AD. MCI can be used for early detection and prevention of progression to dementia. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the stage between healthy cognitive aging and dementia, is defined as greater cognitive impairment than is expected for one's age. Risk factors for AD include nonmodifiable factors, such as older age, family history, and the presence of the apolipoprotein E ( APOE)-ε4 gene, and potentially modifiable risk factors, including low educational attainment, low socioeconomic status, hypertension, smoking, diabetes, depression, and low social and cognitive engagement. Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, affected approximately 5.5 million Americans in 2017 this number is projected to increase to as high as 16 million by 2050.
