Relationship between cognitive impairment and postural stability in the elderly population

• Published in: Sport sciences for health Vol. 19; no. 2; pp. 545 - 551
• Main Authors: Monika, Kumar, Saurabh, Gupta, Aarti
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Milan Springer Milan 01.06.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Age; Aging; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive ability; Dementia; Feet; Geriatrics; Health risks; Human Physiology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Memory; Metabolic Diseases; Older people; Original Article; Population; Sports Medicine; Standard deviation; Statistical analysis; SMMSE; BBS; Cognition; Postural stability; Impairment
• ISSN: 1824-7490; 1825-1234
• DOI: 10.1007/s11332-022-00913-4

Background Cognition impairment and falls are the common problem during aging in elder individuals. The presence of cognitive impairment is also a major risk factor for changes in motor performance and body balance. MCI are at increased risk not only for conversion to dementia in elderly people but also for a decreasing in mobility and risk of suffering falls. Objective The objective of the present study was to find out the relationship between cognitive impairment and postural stability in elderly people. Methods A total of 100 elders of both sexes (age range of 65–75 years) were included in the study. Subjects were randomly assigned into two groups. Group A (subjects who were having normal cognition) and Group B (subjects who were having mild cognitive impairment). The assessment of balance was done by Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and cognition testing by Standardized Mini-Mental Scale (SMMSE). Result The analysis of the coefficient of correlation suggests a positive correlation between SMMSE and BBS among the subjects of Group A, ( p value = 0.01) ( r value 0.469) and no significant correlation between SMMSE and BBS among the subjects of Group B, ( p value = 0.712) ( r value 0.052). Conclusion By the data analysis, it is concluded that there is a little or no impact on postural stability with cognitive impairment in elderly people. Thus it can be used clinically to assess and improve balance in the geriatric population and to prevent them from falling.