Speed and Hand Grip Predict Dementia,
Stroke Risk
Allison Shelley
February 23, 2012 — Testing walking speed and hand grip
strength can help clinicians predict subsequent risk for dementia and stroke, a
new study shows.
"Very simple tests, which can be performed by any
practitioner in any office based-setting, may help determine patients' risks of
developing dementia or stroke years before these diseases ensue," lead
investigator Erica Camargo, MD, from Boston Medical Center in Massachusetts,
told Medscape Medical News.
The results are being released in advance of the American
Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting, where they will be presented in
April in New Orleans, Louisiana.
"While frailty and lower physical performance in
elderly people have been associated with an increased risk of dementia, we
weren't sure until now how it impacted people of middle age," Dr. Camargo
explained.
Using data from the Framingham Offspring Study, the researchers
looked at 2410 people with an average age of 62. They conducted brain
magnetic imaging and tested walking speed, hand grip strength, and cognitive
function.
Framingham Data
Over follow-up of about 11 years, 34 people developed
dementia and 79 had a stroke. People with a slower walking speed in middle age
had a 50% increase in risk of developing dementia compared with people with
faster walking speed (hazard ratio, 1.50; 95% confidence
interval, 1.07 - 2.11; P = .020).
The researchers also found that slower walking speed was
associated with lower total cerebral brain volume (-.17; P = .007) and was
linked to poorer performance on memory, language, and decision-making tests.
Stronger hand grip strength was associated with a 42% lower
risk for stroke or transient ischemic attack compared with those with weaker
hand grip. This was not the case, however, for people in the study under the
age of 65.
Hand strength was also linked to larger total cerebral brain
volume as well as better performance on cognitive tests that asked people to identify similarities among objects.
"Further research is needed to understand why this is
happening," Dr. Camargo said, "and whether preclinical disease could
cause slow walking and decreased strength."
She pointed out her team was impressed to see the tests
could predict dementia and stroke risk — even in middle-aged patients. "If
these screening tests could be performed routinely, such as in annual physical
exams, the information could in conjunction with consideration of other risk
factors help general practitioners decide which patients should be referred to
a neurologist for early evaluation and possible early clinical
intervention."
This study was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute's Framingham Heart Study, the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke, and the National Institute on Aging.
The American Academy of Neurology 64th Annual Meeting.
Abstract #2402. First results released February 15, 2012.
Medscape
Medical News © 2012 WebMD, LLC
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