Slow Gait, Cognitive Complaints Can Predict Dementia

A study involving nearly 27,000 older adults on five continents found that nearly one in 10 met criteria for pre-dementia based on a simple test that measures how fast people walk and whether they have cognitive complaints. People who tested positive for pre-dementia were twice as likely as others to develop dementia within 12 years. The study, recently published online in Neurology, presents a new test that diagnoses motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR). Testing for the newly described syndrome relies on measuring gait speed and asking a few simple questions about a patient’s cognitive abilities. The study reported on the prevalence of MCR among 26,802 adults without dementia or disability aged 60 years and older enrolled in 22 studies in 17 countries. A significant number of adults — 9.7 percent — met the criteria for MCR. While the syndrome was equally common in men and women, highly educated people were less likely to test positive for MCR compared with less-educated individuals. To test whether MCR predicts future dementia, the researchers focused on four of the 22 studies that tested a total of 4,812 people for MCR and then evaluated them annually over an average follow-up period of 12 years to see which ones developed dementia. Those who met the criteria for MCR were nearly twice as likely to develop dementia over the following 12 years, compared with those who did not. To learn more about the study, click here.