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Q: I have become a bit more forgetful. I read about something called mild cognitive impairment. How do you know if you have it?

A: Everyone has the occasional bout of forgetfulness, whether it’s misplacing your keys or blanking out on a name. But if these episodes become frequent or interfere with daily life, you may have mild cognitive impairment, or MCI. But MCI can be tough to identify.

MCI falls somewhere between the natural cognitive decline that happens with aging and the more serious signs of Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia.

Despite some cognitive deficits, people with MCI can still engage in their usual daily routine and perform the functions needed to live independently.

MCI is categorized into two major types. The first is known as amnestic MCI and refers to problems with memory — such as forgetting recent information and details of conversations, or misplacing personal items like your glasses.

The second category, nonamnestic MCI, involves changes in areas other than memory — such as attention and concentration, executive function (the group of abilities that includes planning, multitasking, and decision making), language skills (like finding words or choosing the right ones), and visual skills (like finding your way around locations or understanding where things are in space).

MCI is tough to pinpoint because people often shrug off the mental lapses as annoying signs of aging. Also, not everyone experiences the same number of symptoms or the same severity.

People may have a deficit in only one area — for instance, only memory or executive function — called single-domain MCI, or mild deficits in several areas, called multi-domain MCI.

Being honest about your memory lapses is always the first step to identifying MCI. If you’re not sure if your memory is a problem, ask friends or family for an honest assessment, or ask them to look out for memory changes you might not notice.

If you or someone else suspects a problem, your doctor can perform in-office cognitive tests to check for MCI. If you are diagnosed with MCI, that doesn’t mean you’re automatically on the fast track to dementia. In fact, many people will not progress to more severe problems.

While there is no single proven method for preventing or slowing MCI, people can reduce their risk of cognitive decline by getting regular exercise, eating a Mediterranean style diet, and remaining socially engaged.

Howard LeWine, M.D., is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, visit www.health.harvard.edu.

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