A rather simple test within the reach of all professionals. It suffices to observe the walk of a patient and to ask him questions about his cognitive abilities to detect the first stages of development of the dementia. Researchers are convinced that when an older person walks slowly, there is a high likelihood of sluggishness or cognitive abnormality.
In order to verify their statements, researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (New York) did the test on nearly 27,000 people aged 60 and over, participants in 22 studies in 17 different countries and from five continents. . The results were published in the journal Neurology.
A doubled risk of developing dementia
The results of the study show first of all that almost 10% of the adults questioned meet the test criteria and these patients are twice as likely to develop dementia over the next twelve years. The syndrome is also more common in men and people who have a low level of education.
Of course, the researchers point out that slow gait alone does not imply a stage of pre-dementia. An elderly man could very well walk slowly due to simple arthritis, for example. But the association of slow walking and cognitive complaints should prompt us to identify the causes, some of which we know play a role in slowing blood flow to the brain and which can be countered (smokinghigh blood pressure, obesity, diabetes…).
Professor Joe Verghese, professor of neurology, head of the geriatrics department at Albert Einstein College and lead author of the study, explains that this method, which does not require the presence of a neurologist, allows broader detection of the risk and, ultimately health care savings.
