Cognitive and physical functions among Chinese community-dwelling older adults with motoric cognitive risk syndrome: A prospective cohort study.
Junhong Wu, Xinyu Yao, Xing Wu and 2 others
PMID 41367599WHAT IT FOUND
In 4,217 Chinese older adults, those with motoric cognitive risk syndrome had lower cognition and physical function, and both groups declined over follow-up.
Adults without it showed better global cognition and repeated chair stand performance, but worse visuospatial ability.
Key findings
01Of 4,217 older adults analysed, 475 had MCR syndrome (11.3%).
02After adjustment, adults without MCR syndrome had significantly better global cognition at 2018 compared with 2011 than adults with MCR syndrome (B = 0.44, P = 0.035).
03After adjustment, adults without MCR syndrome had significantly better repeated chair stand performance at 2013 and 2015 compared with 2011 than adults with MCR syndrome (B = 0.31 and 0.37, P < 0.001), but significantly worse visuospatial ability at 2013 and 2018 (B = -0.44 and -0.34, P = 0.002 and 0.016).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Many participants were excluded because they could not complete gait speed tests or had incomplete data, so the results may not apply to older adults who cannot walk or who are frailer. The study followed participants for 7 or 4 years, which may be too short to capture slow cognitive decline and dementia onset. Physical function data were not collected in 2018, so physical outcomes were followed only to 2015. It is an observational cohort, so it cannot show that MCR syndrome causes cognitive or physical decline or that treating any measured domain would prevent decline. The visuospatial result went opposite to the main pattern: adults without MCR syndrome performed worse at 2013 and 2018, and the paper does not establish why.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest. Funding was from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine and Jiangsu Province philosophy and social science research; the funders had no role in study design, implementation or analysis.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treating slow gait or memory complaints will prevent cognitive or physical decline. The study observed associations in older adults and did not test any intervention, so it cannot show that any treatment caused the differences.