MetS prevalent among seniors at risk of mobility disability

(HealthDay)—For older adults at high risk of mobility disability, metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent, according to a study published online Jan. 30 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Anda Botoseneanu, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional analysis to examine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its association with physical capacity, disability, and self-related health in older adults. Data were collected for 1,535 community dwelling sedentary adults, aged 70 to 98 years and at high risk of mobility disability.

The researchers found that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 49.8 percent overall, and was 83.2 and 38.1 percent, respectively, among those with and without diabetes mellitus. In the overall sample and in those without diabetes mellitus and with poorer self-rated health, metabolic syndrome correlated with stronger grip strength (P = 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively). No significant differences were found in the overall sample or in diabetes mellitus subgroups for the 400-m walk time, Short Physical Performance Battery score, or disability score for participants with versus without metabolic syndrome.

"Longitudinal studies are needed to investigate whether metabolic syndrome accelerates declines in functional status in high-risk older adults and to inform clinical and public health interventions aimed at preventing or delaying disability in this group," the authors write.

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