Determinants of mobility disability in older adults : : evidence from population-based epidemiologic studies / / Marco Inzitari.

• Superior document: Premio FUP. Tesi di dottorato ; 11
• VerfasserIn: Inzitari, Marco,
• Place / Publishing House: Firenze : : Firenze University Press,, 2010
• Year of Publication: 2010
• Language: English
• Series: Premio FUP. Tesi di dottorato ; 11.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (60 pages) :; digital, PDF file(s).

Gait and mobility are cardinal to maintain autonomy and independency in daily life, also for older persons. Changes in these functions might be critical in the transition towards disability and loss of autonomy during the aging process. The aim of the present work, which collects three years of research conducted between Italy and the United States, was to assess some of the main risk factors for the progressive impairment of mobility and gait in older adults living in the community. According to our results, abnormalities in the nervous and cardiovascular systems, even subtle, are associated with a subsequent worsening of these functions. These data might help to better understand the progressive development of disability in the elderly, and in the future might also have practical implications for prevention.

Table of Contents

Foreword -- Abstract -- Introduction -- 1. The demographic and epidemiological transitions -- 1.1 Impairments of mobility and walking in the disablement process -- 2. Clinical consequences of mobility dysfunction and the onset of disability -- 3. Health care and social costs of impaired mobility -- 4. Assessment of mobility in epidemiologic studies -- 5. Determinants of mobility disability in older community-dwellers -- Aims -- Methods -- 1. Populations -- 2. Markers of different physiologic domains tested as potential predictors of mobility and gait dysfunction -- 2.1 Central and peripheral nervous systems -- 2.2 Energy production and transportation -- 2.3 Outcome variables: measures of physical performance and other variables -- 3. Essential aspects of the statistical analysis -- Main results -- Study 1 -- Study 2 -- Study 3 -- Study 4 -- Study 5 -- Study 6 -- Discussion -- 1. Summary of the results -- 2. Comparison with previous studies and possible pathophysiologic pathways -- 2.1 Central nervous system -- 2.2 Peripheral nervous system -- 2.3 Subclinical vascular disease -- 2.4 Anemia and cerebrovascular disease -- 3. Main strengths and limitations -- Conclusions -- Acknowledgements -- References.