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Combination of poor gait and weak hand grip could be early indicators of dementia
Medical Xpress / Monash Univ. / Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring ^ | Oct. 4, 2022 | Suzanne G. Orchard et al

Posted on 10/04/2022 8:57:28 PM PDT by ConservativeMind

Walking speed and grip strength could be early indicators of dementia before the onset of noticeable symptoms, a study reveals.

Researchers found slow walking speed combined with weak hand grip was a stronger predictor of cognitive decline and dementia in older adults than either measure alone.

The study of data from more than 18,000 initially healthy adults, mostly aged 70 and older in the ASPREE trial, revealed that a combined poor gait speed and grip strength was linked to a 79% increased risk of dementia and a 43% increased risk of cognitive decline.

Over time, the risk for dementia or cognitive decline was shown to be highest when gait and grip declined simultaneously over the study period of nearly 5 years, with an 89% increased risk of dementia and 55% increased risk of cognitive decline.

Dr. Suzanne Orchard said the research showed an important link between age-related cognitive and physical decline.

Dr. Orchard said simple grip strength and gait speed assessments could be adopted by GPs and other health care providers to help identify dementia risk early and establish treatment pathways to improve patient outcomes.

The study was conducted using data from the landmark ASPREE—ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly—clinical trial. The multi-center trial, exploring low dose aspirin and disability-free survival in older adults, mostly aged over 70.

Participants' grip strength and gait speed were measured upon entry to ASPREE and repeated during an average of 4.7 years.

Gait speed was timed walking at normal pace over a distance of three meters, while grip strength was assessed using a hand-held device to measure force. Researchers then compared these physical benchmarks against participants' cognition, measured using assessments that examine functions such as memory and processing speed.

(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: deamentia; hand; handstrength; walking; walkingspeed
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To: Falconspeed

Agree... Bad backs and arthritis and you have slow gait and weak grip. It’s called aging.


21 posted on 10/05/2022 4:39:47 AM PDT by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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To: dila813

Cancer from Kentucky Bourbon.... I’d like to see the science on that one.


22 posted on 10/05/2022 4:41:17 AM PDT by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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To: maddog55

It wasn’t science it was an individual medical issue, same thing when liberals confuse weather with climate, that is what you just did


23 posted on 10/05/2022 5:32:43 AM PDT by dila813
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To: Paladin2

True, loved by all


24 posted on 10/05/2022 5:33:50 AM PDT by dila813
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To: ConservativeMind

Cue the photos of Joe...


25 posted on 10/05/2022 5:33:55 AM PDT by Demiurge2 (Define your terms!)
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To: dila813

Nope, I agreed on a post which is not the same as liberals confusing weather and climate change... Coming to that thought from a post about back problems and arthritis would be signs of early stages of dementia.


26 posted on 10/05/2022 5:51:08 AM PDT by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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To: dila813

That should confuse you more !!


27 posted on 10/05/2022 5:53:13 AM PDT by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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To: ConservativeMind

So all of the Antifa FBI soi bois are about to fall into dementia. Sounds amusing.


28 posted on 10/05/2022 6:12:38 AM PDT by sergeantdave
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To: LibWhacker

</chortle>


29 posted on 10/05/2022 6:25:12 AM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: ConservativeMind

Biden has a poor gait and a weak grip on reality.

Does that count?


30 posted on 10/05/2022 6:46:50 AM PDT by moovova
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To: ConservativeMind
Combination of poor gait and weak hand grip could be early indicators of dementia

It could also be an indicator of joint problems and/or age related loss of muscle mass.

31 posted on 10/05/2022 9:09:08 AM PDT by Roccus (First we beat the Nazis........Then we defeated the Soviets....... Now, we are them.)
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To: maddog55

You mean telling a story about a single old man and demanding to see the science?


32 posted on 10/05/2022 9:30:08 AM PDT by dila813
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To: ConservativeMind

I struggle with the timing of supplements that have to be taken multiple times a day on an empty stomach, followed by a 30-minute wait before eating. I’m not a constant eater, but while I have no problem with the 1st (morning) dose, it’s tough to consistently be in that position the rest of the day.


33 posted on 10/05/2022 11:17:41 AM PDT by Magic Fingers (Political correctness mutates in order to remain virulent.)
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To: dila813

WTF are you talking about?

Researchers found slow walking speed combined with weak hand grip was a stronger predictor of cognitive decline and dementia in older adults than either measure alone.

Not a word about a single old man wanting to see the science.

Talk about demented idiots.


34 posted on 10/05/2022 4:13:52 PM PDT by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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To: maddog55

We were talking about my grandpa


35 posted on 10/05/2022 4:16:14 PM PDT by dila813
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To: Paladin2

Diet, diet, diet.

Our vascular problems are closely related to what we put in and through our bodies.

Smoking also does a number on your circulation.


36 posted on 10/05/2022 4:21:59 PM PDT by Vermont Lt
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To: DeplorablePaul
As an active golfer in a retirement community, it is easy to spot people suffering from physical and mental decline by the way they walk. I almost never get irritated by how slow they are because there but for the grace of God go I. Also, golfers, like me, with weak grips slice the ball. I have to remind myself to maintain a grip on the club.

I quit walking a couple of years ago because carrying the golf bag aggravated my shoulder. Even with a cart, golfers can still put in a couple of miles while golfing with a cart.

37 posted on 10/05/2022 4:46:23 PM PDT by EVO X ( )
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To: maddog55

It used to be that it took a couple of aspirin and some breakfast before a normal gait could be achieved.

Now I’m precluded from taking aspirin.


38 posted on 10/05/2022 5:10:33 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: dila813

I was talking about the article. As for your grandpa and Kentucky Bourbon being antifreeze for his blood, he had a sense of humor.... It didn’t cause his cancer hence the “I said I’d like to see the science on that”. i.e cause his cancer.


39 posted on 10/06/2022 4:09:14 AM PDT by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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To: maddog55

They don’t do science for a single case, brother, ug


40 posted on 10/06/2022 11:45:44 AM PDT by dila813
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