Community-dwelling older adults who have lower physical function are at increased risk of developing heart attack, heart failure and stroke, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
In the study, researchers analyzed the health data of 5,570 participants, with an average age of 75, from 2011-2019, using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, an ongoing community-based cohort that seeks to examine the causes of cardiovascular disease. The Short Physical Performance Battery was used in the study to measure physical function in older adults. Physical function, which is different from physical fitness, includes walking speed, leg strength and balance.
The study found that older adults with low physical function scores were 47% more likely than those with high physical function scores to experience at least one cardiovascular disease event, and those with intermediate physical function scores had a 25% higher risk of having at least one cardiovascular disease event. The association between physical function and cardiovascular disease remained even when controlling for other risk factors, such as age, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
“We found that physical function in older adults predicts future cardiovascular disease beyond traditional heart disease risk factors, regardless of whether an individual has a history of cardiovascular disease,” said study senior author Kunihiro Matsushita, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the department of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Division of Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, in a news release.
Researchers say the study supports past research, which has demonstrated the importance of maintaining physical function as people age. They also found that clinicians should be mindful of patient physical function when managing cardiovascular risk in older adults.
“Our findings highlight the value of assessing the physical function level of older adults in clinical practice,” study lead author Xiao Hu, MHS, a research data coordinator in the department of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said in the release. ”In addition to heart health, older adults are at higher risk for falls and disability. The assessment of physical function may also inform the risk of these concerning conditions in older adults.”
