Are higher common carotid artery intima-media thickness and the presence of carotid plaques associated with worse gait and balance in elderly individuals?
Higher common carotid artery intima-media thickness and the presence of carotid plaques are associated with worse gait and balance performance in elderly individuals, suggesting a vascular contribution to motor dysfunction.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Gait dysfunction is an important cause of disability among the elderly and may be, in part, of vascular origin. We studied the association between carotid ultrasound parameters and measures of gait and balance in subjects 65 to 85 years of age who participated in the baseline phase of the Three-City Study in the Dijon center. METHODS: The study population comprised 2572 noninstitutionalized individuals. Carotid plaques and common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) were measured using ultrasonography. Gait and balance measures included walking speed and a modified version of the Tinetti scale. RESULTS: Mean maximum walking speed (MWS) decreased with increasing CCA-IMT and number of plaques (P or =16 (P=0.006). The proportion of subjects in the lowest MWS quartile (P=0.006) or with a modified Tinetti score <16 (P=0.05) increased with the number of plaques. These relations were attenuated after adjustment for vascular risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Carotid plaques and higher CCA-IMT values are associated with worse performances on gait and balance tests. Our results suggest that vascular factors may play an important and under-recognized role in motor function.
Elbaz et al. (Fri,) studied this question.