Gait plasticity impairment as an early frailty biomarker.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To assess whether gait plasticity and gait reserve, valid measures of gait adaptation to environmental stressors, are associated with frailty. DESIGN: Cross-sectional sub-analysis of the FISTAC study (Identification of the Physical Attributes of the Fear of Falling Syndrome). SETTING: Community-dwelling women from the Falls Unit of a Geriatrics Department. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and twenty-nine women with an age ≥ 70 years old and presence of at least one previous fall in the last year. MEASURES: Age, comorbidity, nutritional status, cognitive status, depression, medications, disability, fear of falling, physical function, hand grip strength, 1RM leg-press strength, maximum and mean leg-press power were determined. Frailty was assessed using the frailty phenotype criteria. Gait plasticity parameters were measured by walking at normal pace, fast pace, and slow pace, and mean (left and right) stride velocity and stride variability (SD) for the three walks were determined independently and for the sum of the three walks. Gait reserve was calculated as the difference in stride velocity from normal to fast pace. ROC curves were constructed to determine the best association between gait plasticity parameters and frailty. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 79 years (SD 8.0). The median of normal, fast, slow and three-walks pace stride velocity were 68.9 cm/s (interquartile range [IQR 33.8]), 96.1 cm/s (IQR 38.3), 51.6 cm/s (IQR 19.8), and 72.7 cm/s (IQR 20.7) respectively. The median of normal, fast, slow and three-walks pace stride variability were 4.5 cm/s (IQR 3.3), 5.4 cm/s (IQR 3.8), 3.6 cm/s (IQR 2.3) and 15.9 cm/s (IQR 16.5) respectively. The median of gait reserve was 23 cm/s (IQR 46). Gait reserve and fast pace stride velocity were associated not only with frailty, but also with a lower age, disability, depression, physical function, muscle strength and power, and fear of falling, more than gait velocity. Areas under the curve (95% CI) for gait parameters with stronger association with frailty were fast pace stride velocity 0.801 (0.723-0.880), three-walk mean stride velocity 0.761 (0.678-0.845), three-walks stride variability 0.724 (0.635-0.81) and gait reserve 0.727 (0.635-0.818). CONCLUSIONS: Lower gait reserve and lower gait plasticity have a stronger association with frailty than gait speed in older women. Our results may support the use of these gait parameters to early identify frailty in community-dwelling older women.

Razonamiento, diseño y metodología del estudio de identificación de los atributos físicos del síndrome de temor a caerse en ancianos (FISTAC) / Rationale, design and methodology of physical attributes identification of the fear of falling syndrome (FISTAC study)

Introducción. El objetivo del estudio es identificar los atributos físicos del síndrome de temor a caerse (STAC) en mayores con caídas previas. Metodología. Estudio observacional analítico sobre 183 sujetos mayores de 64 años que hayan sufrido al menos una caída en el último año, captados desde la consulta de geriatría del Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete. De ellos, 140 cumplían criterios de STAC, y los otros 43 no (grupo control). Como covariables se recogieron datos sociodemográficos, antropométricos, de comorbilidad y fármacos, situación funcional, función física, fragilidad, estado cognitivo y afectivo. Se determinó la masa muscular mediante bioimpedanciometría (BIA) y densitometría (DXA), la fuerza prensora mediante dinamómetro digital de JAMAR, la fuerza extensora (1RM) de miembros inferiores, la potencia muscular de miembros inferiores mediante el instrumento T-Force, la variabilidad de la marcha con el instrumento Gait-Rite, las alteraciones posturales mediante posturografía. Se analizará si el STAC se asocia con alteraciones físicas ajustado por las covariables de estudio. Resultados. Edad media 78,4 años, 147 mujeres. En 182 participantes se pudo realizar posturografía, en 146 se pudo determinar potencia muscular de piernas, en 117 se realizó DXA y en 165, BIA. El STAC se asoció a sexo femenino, estado de fragilidad, ánimo deprimido, riesgo social, fuerza y potencia muscular, función física, número de fármacos e hipotensión ortostática en la muestra global, pero al ajustar por sexo, solo la fragilidad, el ánimo deprimido y el consumo de fármacos se asociaron al STAC. Conclusiones. Se presenta el razonamiento, el diseño y la metodología del estudio FISTAC (AU)

Introduction. The aim of this study was to identify the physical determining factors of the Fear of Falling Syndrome (FoF) in older adults with a history of falls. Methods. An observational study was conducted on 183 subjects older than 64 years with a fall in the previous year, with data collected from the geriatrics outpatient clinic of the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario from Albacete, Spain. Sociodemographic and anthropometric data, as well as comorbidity, drugs usually taken, functional status, physical function, frailty, cognitive and affective status were collected. Muscle mass was measured using bioimpedancy meter (BIA), and densitometry (DXA), strength with digital hand-held JAMAR dynamometer and with a Leg-press machine, muscle potency with a T-Force instrument, gait variability with the Gait-Rite instrument, and postural stability with the Neurocom Balance Master posturograph were also determined. An analysis was performed to determine if the FoF is associated with physical impairments adjusted for the study covariates. Results. The study included 140 subjects with FoF, and 43 without it. The mean age was 78.4 years, and 147 were women. Posturography could be measured in 182 participants, DXA in 117, BIA in 165, and muscle potency in 146. FoF was associated with female sex, frailty, depressed mood, social risk, muscle strength and power, physical function, number of drugs used, and orthostatic hypotension in the overall sample. After adjusting for sex, only frailty, depressed mood, and number of drugs remained associated. Conclusions. Rationale, design, and methods of the FISTAC study are presented (AU)

[Rationale, design and methodology of physical attributes identification of the fear of falling syndrome (FISTAC study)]. / Razonamiento, diseño y metodología del estudio de identificación de los atributos físicos del síndrome de temor a caerse en ancianos (FISTAC).

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to identify the physical determining factors of the Fear of Falling Syndrome (FoF) in older adults with a history of falls. METHODS: An observational study was conducted on 183 subjects older than 64 years with a fall in the previous year, with data collected from the geriatrics outpatient clinic of the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario from Albacete, Spain. Sociodemographic and anthropometric data, as well as comorbidity, drugs usually taken, functional status, physical function, frailty, cognitive and affective status were collected. Muscle mass was measured using bioimpedancy meter (BIA), and densitometry (DXA), strength with digital hand-held JAMAR dynamometer and with a Leg-press machine, muscle potency with a T-Force instrument, gait variability with the Gait-Rite instrument, and postural stability with the Neurocom Balance Master posturograph were also determined. An analysis was performed to determine if the FoF is associated with physical impairments adjusted for the study covariates. RESULTS: The study included 140 subjects with FoF, and 43 without it. The mean age was 78.4 years, and 147 were women. Posturography could be measured in 182 participants, DXA in 117, BIA in 165, and muscle potency in 146. FoF was associated with female sex, frailty, depressed mood, social risk, muscle strength and power, physical function, number of drugs used, and orthostatic hypotension in the overall sample. After adjusting for sex, only frailty, depressed mood, and number of drugs remained associated. CONCLUSIONS: Rationale, design, and methods of the FISTAC study are presented.