Poor Physical Performance May Indicate Dementia Risk

Poor physical performance may be a sign of late-age dementia in adults aged 90 years and older, according to a new study from California.

The population of people living to age 90 years and older is projected to grow significantly over the next few decades. However, few studies have examined physical performance and cognition in this population.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
Do Prestroke Risk Factors Influence Future Stroke and Dementia Risk?
Could Depression Trajectory Predict Higher Risk of Dementia?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For their study, the researchers included 578 participants from The 90+ Study who did not have dementia at baseline, completed at least 1 of the 4 physical performance tests at baseline, and had at least 1 follow-up from October 2002 through February 2012.

The researchers followed up with participants every 6 months to conduct physical and neurologic evaluations and cognitive tests, including 4-minute walk, balance, 5 chair stands, and grip strength.

After 2.6 years of follow up, 36.7% of participants had developed dementia. Standing balance was the strongest indicator of dementia risk, followed by 4-minute walk time and grip strength.

“Poor physical performance is associated with risk of developing dementia over an average 2.6-year follow-up in the oldest-old, indicating that poor physical performance may be an early sign of late-age dementia,” the researchers concluded.

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Bullain SS, Corrada MM, Perry SM, Kawas CH. Sound body sound mind? Physical performance and the risk of dementia in the oldest-old: the 90+ Study [published online July 5, 2016]. J Am Geriatr Soc. doi:10.1111/jgs.14224.