A connection has been found between walking speed and life expectancy

Scientists are looking for ways to combat senile asthenia

The faster a person walks, the longer he will live. Chief geriatrician of Russia, professor of the Department of Aging Diseases of the Federal Postgraduate Training Institute of the Russian National Research Medical University named after. N.I. Pirogov of the Russian Ministry of Health Nadezhda Runikhina spoke about the latest world research data in the field of active longevity.

During her speech at the V Forum “Sociology of Health: New Forms of Interdisciplinary Synergy,” the expert recalled that people have learned to live long. According to WHO, up to 30% of the population in many countries will be elderly by 2040. And today the main task of medicine is to extend the years of active life. European countries have already made progress in this direction: in recent decades, the number of older people who reach old age active, independent and autonomous has been growing.

The main geriatric syndrome today is called senile asthenia. With age, changes occur in the body: muscle strength decreases, people become weak, slow, and cognitive abilities suffer. “Weakness causes unfavorable events: such patients more often need medical care and outside care,” says Nadezhda Runikhina.

Senile asthenia syndrome is common and is thought to affect about 11% of people over 60, but the older a person gets, the more likely they are to develop the syndrome. In the female population, the prevalence of senile asthenia is higher.

To make such a diagnosis, a person undergoes a complex comprehensive geriatric assessment (not only health indicators, but also emotional, psycho-emotional status, etc.), after which a frailty index is calculated. “It is unrealistic and unnecessary to conduct a comprehensive geriatric assessment for every elderly person,” says Nadezhda Runikhina. “In Russian clinics, simple screening for senile asthenia is carried out using questionnaires: we use the “Age is not a hindrance” questionnaire, which has seven questions.”

A striking manifestation of senile asthenia is slowness. First of all, it is expressed in the fact that a person begins to walk slowly. Scientists have found that walking speed affects life expectancy. A meta-analysis of 9 studies covering 34.5 thousand patients was conducted. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 21 years. During the study, the life expectancy of 70-year-old men ranged from 7 to 23 years, women – from 10 to 30. At the same time, those who walked quickly lived the longest. “Our physical activity is associated with life expectancy, and by maintaining activity, we influence its duration,” says the geriatrician.

The good news is that, according to recent research, frailty is a reversible or potentially reversible condition. Therefore, in recent years, a new direction has been developing all over the world: geriatric rehabilitation, the purpose of which is to maintain the health of frail elderly people.

In Moscow, they also conducted such a study, which Nadezhda Runikhina spoke about. A group of patients aged 65 to 94 years was selected to participate in it, 88% were women with decreased memory and mobility. For 21 days, specialists actively worked with these patients: recommendations on nutrition and physical activity were developed for them. An additional assessment of the drug therapy they were taking for their diseases was carried out (to exclude unwanted drug interactions). And after three weeks, doctors saw a real miracle: the study participants had improved memory, mood, walking speed, increased muscle strength, improved balance and improved sleep. Based on the results of the study, experts developed a protocol for geriatric rehabilitation of people over 60 years of age, which they called “Postscript”. It is recommended for use in medical rehabilitation institutions.