Gait Speed : indicator of increased dementia risk

Gait speed is the time one takes to walk a specified distance on level surfaces over a short distance. This is not a measure of endurance. A distance of 3-10 meters is measured over a level surface with 2 meters for acceleration and 2 meters for deceleration. Gait speed, which is a good "general measure of overall health," starts to decline when individuals are in their 50s and 60s.

a large study of more than 16,000 participants showed that decline in both gait speed and cognition, particularly memory, is linked to an increased risk for dementia. a cut-point of 0.05 m/s or more per year was used to distinguish participants who experienced a decline in gait from those who did not

If a patient's gait speed is slowing, clinicians might consider "all those preventative interventions we know are important for reducing risk of dementia, like exercise, diet, lowering blood pressure, and addressing diabetes and obesity."

As a conclusion, this study demonstrate that assessments of gait speed, which predict not only dementia but also falls, disability, and other geriatric syndromes, should be included as a "vital sign," as is heart rate or blood pressure, in the routine assessment of all geriatric patients. And keep in mind that Measuring gait speed is really simple, cheap, and quick. . "It's also a great way of tracking over time how someone is doing."

Source : AMA Netw Open. Published online May 31, 2022. Full article, Editorial