Differences in Neuropsychiatric Symptoms according to Mild Cognitive Impairment Subtypes in the Community

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been subtyped according to its cognitive features and its likely etiology. We aimed to investigate the neuropsychiatric features of the MCI using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and compare them according to subtypes. METHODS: MCI patients were classified according to cognitive features (e.g. amnestic vs. nonamnestic MCI), likely etiology (e.g. vascular vs. nonvascular MCI) and functional status (e.g. MCI-I vs. MCI-II). The percentage of subjects exhibiting each of the 12 behaviors in the Neuropsychiatric Inventory was compared among the groups using a chi(2) test. RESULTS: There were 382 subjects in the MCI group. In terms of each neuropsychiatric symptom, there were no differences in frequency between the MCI groups subtyped according to cognitive features or likely etiology. However, a significantly higher frequency of delusion, aggression, irritability and eating behavior was observed in the MCI-II group in comparison to the MCI-I group. CONCLUSION: The differences in neuropsychiatric symptoms were distinctive between the MCI groups subtyped according to functional status.