High Blood Pressure Accelerates Slowing of Walking Speed in Older Adults
Researchers studied 2,733 older adults for over 18 years. They discovered that people with high blood pressure were more likely to experience a slowing of their walking speed over a long period of time. This research is important because the ability to walk at an acceptable speed is central to the independence of older adults.
New Research in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Researchers and physicians know that older adults who have high blood pressure are less likely to function well, and more likely to become physically disabled, than people with normal blood pressure levels. However, that knowledge is based on studies that have lasted for only up to five years. The researchers who conducted this new study wanted to find out whether the link between poorer function and high blood pressure persisted over a longer period of time.
The researchers were from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Washington in Seattle. Grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute funded the study, with additional contributions from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
The speed at which you walk, called gait speed, is an important factor in the health of older adults. It is important for good function and social activities and is key to an older adult's independence. According to the researchers, limitations such as slow gait speed, increase the risk of hospitalization and even death. What's more, having a slower walking speed seems to predict the development of dementia and disability.
In this study, researchers found that gait speed was significantly slower in people with high blood pressure than it was in people with normal blood pressure. They also learned that, over time, the slowing of gait speed happened faster in people with high blood pressure than in people with normal blood pressure.
Adults in their early 70's who live independently usually have a gait speed of about one meter (about 3 feet) per second. The gait speed of older adults who need help with their daily activities is about half as fast (it takes them about twice as long to walk three feet).
Though no one knows why having high blood pressure might slow your walking speed, the researchers in this study suggested a theory that might explain the connection. They noted that a condition called "white matter hyperintensities" (WMH for short) might be the link. In short, WMH-which show up as bright white spots in the brain on brain scans-are areas of inflammation in the brain. The researchers said that people with high blood pressure tend to have more WMHs than other people. They also said that recent studies show that having greater numbers of WMHs is linked to slower gait and impaired mobility.
What You Should Know
"I think physicians should add gait speed to their routine exams for older adults," said Caterina Rosano, MD, MPH, an associate professor of epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Aging and Population Research, who is the study's lead author. "Our research team has repeatedly shown that slowing gait is associated with underlying brain abnormalities," she said. In addition, other researchers have shown that slowing gait is linked with a greater risk of developing dementia.
What You Can Do
By keeping your blood pressure under control as early in life as you can, you could help protect against gait slowing and this means you will stay functional and independent for longer.
This study is from the full report titled, "High Blood Pressure Accelerates Gait Slowing in Well-Functioning Older Adults Over 18-years of Follow-Up". It is in the March 2011 issue ofthe Journal of the American Geriatric Society. The report is authored by Caterina Rosano, MD; William T. Longstreth, Jr., MD; Robert Boudreau, PhD; Christopher A. Taylor, PhD; Yan Du, MS; Lewis H. Kuller, MD, DrPH; and Anne B. Newman, MD.