Gender Differences in Functional Outcomes from the Cerebral Palsy Adult Transition Study Cohort (CPAT)

Abstract

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To evaluate gender differences in cognitive function and physiological outcomes associated with physical function on the Cerebral Palsy Adult Transition Study (CPAT) cohort. <h3>Design</h3> Cross-sectional, cohort, study. <h3>Setting</h3> Accredited clinical motion analysis laboratory at a regional Children's Hospital. <h3>Participants</h3> 72 ambulatory adults with CP [mean ± SD of age=20± 5.3] representing a balanced gender sample (38 females and 34 males). <h3>Interventions</h3> N/A. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> Physiological outcomes included BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, grip strength and rate of force development (RFD). An instrumented gait analysis was utilized to assess walking ability, in which Gait Deviation Index and walking speed adjusted for height were collected. Cognitive function was evaluated using the WMS-IV and the WAIS- IV subtests. Blood biomarkers consisted of glucose, insulin, lipids (CHOL, HDL, Non-HDL, LDL) and BDNF. Simple T-tests were performed to determine differences between females and males. <h3>Results</h3> Grip strength (p-value = 0.006) showed differences between females and males, in which males showing higher scores. For cognitive function, differences were observed within the WMS-IV subtests; Visual Reproduction delayed recall (p-value = 0.0252) and delayed recognition (p-value = 0.0498), in which females had higher scores compared to males. For the blood biomarkers, only BDNF (p-value =0.02) and HDL (p-value =0.0003) showed differences, in which females showing the highest levels. There were no differences in walking performance between females and males. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The analysis showed that there is gender-specific health outcome differences in adults with CP. Physiological and biological markers are important to guide precision medicine models. Biomarkers can generate diagnosis and treatments accordingly to patient unique health needs. As such, it could assist clinicians to accurately differentiate those at risk for disease as well as to design disease-modifying interventions. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> There is no conflict of interest.