Article

Parkinsonian signs are common in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) of mild
degree and predict functional decline, but their relationship with gait speed and
balance is unclear. The aims of this study were to describe characteristics of
patients with parkinsonian signs among 98 patients with AD of mild degree (with
no comorbid Parkinson's disease), and to examine associations between
parkinsonian signs with gait speed and balance. A cross sectional study at a
memory clinic was conducted. Presence of each parkinsonian sign (bradykinesia,
rigidity and tremor) was derived from the UPDRS, regular gait speed was recorded
over 10m and balance were assessed using the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test
(Mini-BESTest). Bradykinesia was present in 30.6% of the sample, rigidity in
13.3% and tremor only in one patient. Patients with bradykinesia were older, had
worse cognitive impairment and worse gait and balance performance than those
without bradykinesia. More men than women had rigidity. Bradykinesia was
significantly associated with mini-BESTest after adjusting for demographic
factors (p<0.001, explaining 13.3% of the variance), but was not significantly
associated with gait speed. Rigidity was not associated with either gait speed or
balance. We conclude that assessment of bradykinesia should be included in
examination of balance control in patients with AD of mild degree.
CI - Copyright A(c) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS