COIOS
Healthcare today Item confirms peer-reviewed

Slow gait and a low cognitive score at 66 together predict later dementia in Korea

Among 741,655 Korean 66-year-olds followed for a mean of 10.9 years, those with both cognitive impairment and a Timed Up and Go over 10 seconds had a 1.74-fold higher hazard of dementia, alongside raised risks of death, disability and long-term care use.

The study used Korea's national health screening database to classify 741,655 adults aged 66 by cognitive screening score and Timed Up and Go time, then followed them for a mean of 10.9 years, over which 11.4% of the whole cohort developed dementia. Those with both impairments had an adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio for dementia of 1.74 (95% CI 1.67-1.81). Death, disability and long-term care use were also higher, by 34%, 42% and 44% respectively.

Why it is interesting: A two-minute walking test and a brief questionnaire, both recorded routinely at one age, separate groups with markedly different ten-year dementia and care trajectories.

Source
Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science, 21 September 2026
DOI
10.12701/jyms.2026.43.67
Type
Peer-reviewed article
Design
National health-insurance cohort, 741,655 Korean adults aged 66 screened 2009-2012, mean 10.9 years follow-up
Verdict
Confirms prior evidence
Driver
Dementia
Driver
Frailty and multimorbidity at the oldest ages