![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/dementia-red-flag-warning-sign-spotted-in-your-legs/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/0_CloseUpOfAfricanAmericanDoctorAndSeniorCaucasianPatient.jpg&description=A study has shown that the key to detecting dementia early could lie in how people walk. A Minnesota University found that walking speeds could be crucial to the all-important early diagnosis. Affecting multiple families across the UK, dementia's warning signs are important to know. Although we may know all too well the tell-tale signs - such as memory loss, difficulty concentrating and poor judgement - one red flag has now been revealed to lie in how people walk. Despite affecting 900,000 people in the UK, dementia still has no cure but an early diagnosis can help patients manage the condition's effects. New information means that we now know patients of dementia may exhibit warning signs of the condition in their gait. A study suggested that walking slower in old age could be a dementia red flag. Findings published in JAMA Network Open, suggested brain decline may impede a person's ability to walk. The study, carried out by the University of Minnesota and Monash University, examined 17,000 participants aged over 75, monitoring their walking speeds and cognitive function over a seven-year period. Researchers found that those who lost 0.05 meters per second from their pace every year had signs of mental decline. Researchers said this could be due to a link between brain decline affecting the areas involved in controlling walking and pace. Those who were declining in both cognition and walking speed were found to be at a higher risk of dementia. This group, dubbed "dual decliners", saw about 178 cases of the condition detected, which is 11.3 per cent of the total number of participants in the study. Those who showed no decline in cognition or walk were least likely to have the disease with just 0.3 per cent diagnosed. The study did not find a more general link between walking speed and dementia risk. It found that those who slowed down but did not already show signs of cognitive decline were at a similar risk to those whose walking speed remained the same. Still, a d){kind=link}
A study has shown that the key to detecting dementia early could lie in how people walk. A Minnesota University found that walking speeds could be crucial to the all-important early diagnosis.
Affecting multiple families across the UK, dementia’s warning signs are important to know.
Although we may know all too well the tell-tale signs – such as memory loss, difficulty concentrating and poor judgement – one red flag has now been revealed to lie in how people walk.
Despite affecting 900,000 people in the UK, dementia still has no cure but an early diagnosis can help patients manage the condition’s effects. New information means that we now know patients of dementia may exhibit warning signs of the condition in their gait.
A study suggested that walking slower in old age could be a dementia red flag. Findings published in JAMA Network Open, suggested brain decline may impede a person’s ability to walk.