Health
Poor balance a flag for cognitive decline among Alzheimer's patients
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 23, 2009
Alzheimer's patients who are unable to stand on one leg for at least five seconds are more likely to already have advanced dementia. They also tend to have a higher rate of cognitive decline after two years, according to a paper in the March Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
"Our results reinforce ... the growing evidence suggesting a link between physical performance and cognitive decline," said Dr. Yves Rolland, lead author and professor at the University of Toulouse III, France.
Researchers analyzed data on 686 Alzheimer's patients who were not living in institutions.
After two years, those with good balance experienced an average decline in their Mini-Mental Status Examination of 3.8 points. Those with poor balance lost 9.2 points.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/03/23/hlbf0323.htm.












