Background: Motoric Cognitive Risk (MCR) syndrome, which combines subjective memory complaint (SMC) and slower gait speed, is a newly-described predementia stage. Based on the involvement of vitamin D in the biology of both gait and cognition, we hypothesized that nondemented individuals with MCR would exhibit hypovitaminosis D more often compared to Cognitively Healthy Individuals (CHI). The objective of this cross-sectional analysis was to determine whether hypovitaminosis D was associated with MCR.
Methods: Participants without dementia from the GAIT (Gait and Alzheimer Interactions Tracking) cohort study were classified into MCR or Cognitively Healthy Individuals (CHI) groups. Hypovitaminosis D was defined as the lowest quartile of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentration compared to the other three combined. Age, sex, body mass index (BMI), the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) score, the Mini-Mental Short Examination (MMSE) score, education level, use of psychoactive drugs, and the number of chronic diseases were used as covariates.
Results: Among 244 nondemented and nonMCInonMCR participants from the GAIT cohort (mean age 71.4 ± 3.7 years, 40.6% women), 66 participants were classified as MCR (36.9%) and 178 as CHI (63.1%). The lowest quartile of 25OHD concentration was directly associated with MCR (unadjusted OR = 2.85, p = 0.003) even after adjustment for studied potential confounders (fully adjusted OR = 2.61, p = 0.025). The BMI (adjusted OR = 6.65, p < 0.001), MMSE score (adjusted OR = 0.74, p = 0.009), FAB score (adjusted OR = 0.51, p < 0.001), number of chronic diseases (adjusted OR = 1.29, p = 0.043) and use of psychoactive drugs (adjusted OR = 2.55, p = 0.044) were also associated with MCR.
Conclusions: Hypovitaminosis D was associated with MCR in older community-dwellers without dementia.
Keywords: aged; slower gait; subjective memory complaint; vitamin D deficiency.