Relationship Between Low Gait Speed and Geriatric Syndromes: Mortality in a University Geriatric Outpatients in Türkiye

Introduction: Usual gait speed is a fundamental component of sarcopenia and frailty. The current study aimed to assess the correlation between low gait speed (LGS), geriatric syndrome, and mortality. Methods: Of the 2,020 patients who attended the outpatient department of our university hospital between April 2012 and April 2023, a total of 661 participants with accessible gait speed data who were over 60 years of age were included in the study. LGS was defined as a gait speed of 0.8 m/s or less, whereas probable sarcopenia was assessed based on two different measurements: hand grip strength (HGS) and the chair stand test (CST). The cut-off values for HGS were 27 kg for women and 16 kg for men. For the CST, measurements of >15s or an inability to complete the test were considered indicators of probable sarcopenia. Results: The median age of the participants was 73 (60-96) years, and 455 (68.8%) were women. Among the participants, 56 (27.3%) died during the study period. Univarite analysis revealed no significant association between LGS and mortality, whereas regression analysis suggested that LGS was statistically associated with age, sex, congestive heart failure, frailty, malnutrition, and probable sarcopenia assessed by CST. Conclusion: In the presence of LGS, screening for malnutrition, frailty, and probable sarcopenia by CST was feasible.