Peripheral Biomarkers That May Be Associated with Mild Cognitive Impairment in Geriatric Patients

ABSTRACT
Aim: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a disorder in which there is a decrease in cognitive functions and a loss of functionality is experienced unless early intervention is made. Our aim in this study was to compare neutrophil/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) levels ratio (NHR), monocyte/HDLc ratio (MHR), uric acid/HDLc ratio (UHR) between MCI and the control group and to investigate whether these parameters can be used as a predictive biomarker for MCI.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 68 people over the age of 65 who were diagnosed with MCI according to ICD-10 constituted the patient group. The control group was selected from individuals over the age of 65 who underwent the mental competence assessment and did not have MCI as a result of this assessment.
Results: Monocyte, UHR, and MHR were found to be higher in the MCI group (p= 0.036, p= 0.007, p= 0.004; respectively). A positive relationship was found between the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and HDLc (p= 0.032) and a negative relationship was seen between UHR (p= 0.019). When the UHR cut-off value of 0.1285 was taken as a predictor of the diagnostic status, the sensitivity was found to be 41.9% and the specificity was 80.3%. When the cut-off value for MHR was taken as 0.125, the sensitivity was found to be 40.3% and the specificity was 78.9%.
Conclusion: Although they had low sensitivity and specificity, UHR and MHR were found to be significant in predicting the diagnosis of MCI. The positive relationship between the MMSE score and HDLc levels shows that HDLc may be protective against any deterioration in cognitive functions. The decrease in MMSE score while UHR increases may indicate that UHR can be used in prognosis. Our study results should be supported by prospective studies.
Keywords: Geriatrics, mini-mental state, cognitive function, monocyte/HDLc ratio, uric acid/HDLc ratio