According to the authors of a new study, monitoring changes in memory and walking speed over time may help identify those most at risk of dementia.Considered together, walking speed and memory might help predict dementia risk
Islamabad (Pakistan Point News / Online - 25th February, 2020) According to the authors of a new study, monitoring changes in memory and walking speed over time may help identify those most at risk of dementia.Considered together, walking speed and memory might help predict dementia risk.Dementia is predominantly associated with advancing age. So, as the average age of humans on planet Earth steadily rises, the burden of dementia is set to increase.
Dual declines and dementiaOne of the earliest symptoms of dementia is memory loss; however, many people experience cognitive decline with age, and this does not necessarily progress to dementia.As a result, memory loss, on its own, is not a reliable way to predict dementia risk.Some studies have concluded that slower walking speed, or slow gait, might also predict dementia risk. However, overall, it seems that the effect size is quite small and that gait speed alone is not a useful diagnostic measure.
A new analysisFor 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 all over 60. They completed memory tests, and their walking speeds were assessed.At the start of the study, the scientists excluded anyone with preexisting cognitive impairment or dementia. They also excluded anyone with a particularly slow gait slower than 0.
6 meters, or about 2 feet, per second. After the exclusions, 8,699 individuals remained.The authors compared participants with dual decline with those whose walking speeds and memory remained constant, whom they referred to 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 risk of developing dementia than usual agers.More work to comeBecause early treatment for dementia improves outcomes, these findings are important.
Both gait speed and memory are easy to assess, neither measurements are technology-reliant and both are low-cost. If further studies confirm these findings, adding these assessments to regular checkups would 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."
