Abstract
It is unclear whether gait speed can be used to predict bone status or to diagnose osteopenia or osteoporosis. The aim of our study was to determine whether the measurement of physical performance predicts bone strength in community-dwelling postmenopausal Japanese women. We measured speed of sound (SOS), weight bearing index (WBI), maximum or usual gait speed, step length of each gait, single leg balance time with or without eyes closed, and grip strength among 1,061 postmenopausal women (mean age ± standard deviation 68 ± 8 years). After adjustments for age and body mass index, SOS was associated with maximum or usual gait speed and with step length during maximum speed gait, but not with WBI, grip strength, single-leg balance time with or without eyes closed, or step-length time during usual gait speed. When subjects were divided into quartile groups based on WBI (a marker of lower extremity strength), significant associations between usual or maximum gait speed and SOS were found only in the lowest and second lowest groups (first and second quartiles). Finally, analysis of sensitivity and specificity at various cut-off points of maximum gait speed to predict decreased SOS showed relatively high specificity compared with the corresponding sensitivity among those with low gait speed. Maximum gait speed together with WBI may be a useful and specific test to predict bone status in postmenopausal older women.
Highlights
Life expectancy in developed countries was prolonged by approximately 30 years during the twentieth century
Received: 5 November 2011 / Accepted: 10 January 2012 / Published online: 28 January 2012 Ó The Japanese Society for Hygiene 2012. Objectives It is unclear whether gait speed can be used to predict bone status or to diagnose osteopenia or osteoporosis
Our results indicate that the combination of lower extremity strength and gait speed may provide a tool for screening subjects suffering from both bone and muscle functional decline
Summary
Life expectancy in developed countries was prolonged by approximately 30 years during the twentieth century. The resulting increase in the number of elderly in the general population represents a challenge in terms of the ability of society to cope with the decline in physical and/or mental function of frail elderly individuals. Frailty is a geriatric syndrome resulting from age-related cumulative declines across multiple physiologic systems [1]. Sarcopenia (agerelated decrease of muscle mass) [2] and osteoporosis [3] are classic geriatric syndromes that directly affect the activities of elderly persons. Sarcopenia, a risk factor for falls, and osteopenia or osteoporosis, a risk factor for bone fracture, increase the morbidity and mortality among elderly people. Physical performance measures have been shown to predict adverse health-related events [4], onset of difficulties with activities of daily living [5], or mortality [6] in older community-dwelling populations. Gait speed is the most frequently used physical performance measurement, and an association between gait speed and survival in older adults has been reported [7]
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