Dementia 'red flag' warning sign in your legs - and should never be ignored

02 September 2023 , 11:22

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A study suggested that walking slower in old age could be a dementia red flag (Image: Shutterstock)

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.

Those who were declining in both cognition and walking speed were found to be at a higher risk of dementia (Getty Images)

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.

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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.

Dementia’s warning signs are important to know (Getty Images/Image Source)

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.

Speed and memory may be the best way to assess cognitive decline (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Still, a decline in both cognition and walking speed could warn of dementia, according to the researchers, who suggest that speed and memory may be the best way to assess cognitive decline.

The study was led by Dr Taya Collyer, a biostatician at the Monash University, concluded: "Association between [brain] domains, such as processing speed and verbal fluency, with gait have been explained by the crossover in the underlying networks or pathology.

"These results highlight the importance of gait in dementia risk assessment. They suggest that dual decline in gait speed and memory measure may be the best combination to assess future decline."

Emilia Randall