How walking speed and memory might predict dementia
Based on the authors of a fresh study, monitoring changes in memory and walking speed as time passes can help identify those most at risk of dementia.
Dementia is predominantly connected with advancing age. So, as the common age of humans on the world steadily rises, the responsibility of dementia is defined to increase.
Currently, there is no cure; however, starting treatment early is associated with better outcomes. For that reason, researchers are centered on finding methods to predict who is probably to develop dementia.
Also, certain factors increase the risk of dementia, including hypertension and sedentary behavior. Understanding which groups have a tendency to develop dementia helps scientists and doctors identify and manage further risk factors.
Dual declines and dementia
One of the earliest symptoms of dementia is memory loss; however, many persons experience cognitive decline with age, which does not necessarily progress to dementia.
Due to this fact, memory loss, alone, is not a reliable way to predict dementia risk.
Some studies have figured slower walking speed, or slow gait, might also predict dementia risk. However, overall, it appears that the effect size is pretty small and that gait speed alone isn't a good diagnostic measure.
Another study figured individuals whose memory and gait speed declined together were most vulnerable to developing dementia. But because this study included a comparatively small group of individuals, most of whom have been admitted to geriatric clinics, it is not clear whether the results apply to the populace at large.
With these findings at heart, a group of researchers set out to understand whether declining memory and walking speed, taken together, could possibly be associated with increased dementia risk.
If their theory was correct, this so-called dual decline might become a useful way to predict those at most risk.
The researchers have published their findings in the journalGeriatrics.
A new analysis
Because of their investigation, the researchers combined data from six large-scale studies, including the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging and The Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen Population Study.
The participants were around 60. They completed memory tests, and their walking speeds were assessed.
At the start of the study, the scientists excluded a person with preexisting cognitive impairment or dementia. In addition they excluded anyone with an especially slow gait - slower than 0.6 meters, or about 2 feet, per second. Following the exclusions, 8,699 individuals remained.
The authors compared participants with dual decline with those whose walking speeds and memory remained constant, whom they known as “usual agers.”
Across the six studies, the authors found that individuals who experienced memory decline had a 2.2 to 4.6 times higher threat of developing dementia than usual agers.
Among those that only had reduced gait speed, the chance of dementia increased by 2.1 to 3.6 times, and this effect was only statistically significant in three of the six studies.
When the scientists considered individuals who had both walking speed and memory decline, the results were more plainly defined. The researchers write:
“Participants with dual decline had 5.2 to 11.7 times higher threat of developing dementia, compared with usual agers.”
This effect remained significant even after controlling for a variety of factors, including existing health issues and the participants’ baseline walking speeds and memory performance.
More work to come
Because early treatment for dementia boosts outcomes, these findings are essential. Both gait speed and memory are simple to assess, neither measurements are technology-reliant and both are low-cost. If further studies confirm these findings, adding these assessments to regular checkups will be relatively simple.
As the authors write, dual decline could be “captured early in clinical settings by routinely administering gait speed assessment and a free recall memory test.”
Future work also needs to address the question of why - what mechanisms are underpinning the dual decline? The authors assume that understanding why dual decline and dementia are linked might bring about future treatments or ways to prevent dementia from developing.
In addition they hope that additional research will examine “the particular metabolic, vascular, and neuroimaging features that characterize this type of group.”
Overall, the authors conclude that “Older individuals with dual decline in memory and gait speed should receive further focus on address conditions that may increase dementia risk, including evaluation of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors.”
Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com
