Frailty Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

Ivanhoe Newswire

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Being frail could be an early sign of dementia, according to new research. The study links frailty and Alzheimer's disease with the same disease pathology.

For the study, researchers examined the brains of 165 people who were part of a larger study when they were alive. That study tested physical frailty yearly including grip strength, the time it took to walk eight feet, body composition and tiredness. After death, the brains of these individuals were checked for plaques and tangles that are signs of Alzheimer's disease.

Study authors say they found plaques and tangles even in those who were not diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's disease. The common factor was frailty. The level of frailty was two times higher in a person with a high level of plaques and tangles compared to a person with a low level. A previous study with the same participants also showed those who are physically frail with no cognitive problems are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease as compared to those less frail.

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"These findings raise the possibility that Alzheimer's disease may contribute to frailty or that frailty and Alzheimer's disease share a common cause. We theorize that the accumulation of these plaques and tangles in the brain could affect the areas of the brain responsible for motor skills and simple movements years before the development of dementia," says Aron Buchman, MD with Rush University Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago.

SOURCE: Neurology, 2008

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