Informant-Reported Mobility-Related Observations Associated With Subsequent Dementia in Adults With Intellectual...

Dementia is more prevalent in individuals with intellectual disability (ID) than in the general population. Identifying signs of dementia is important to access relevant evaluations, treatment and care. The role of mobility in identifying dementia in ID is not well understood. The aims of the study were to describe mobility-related problems in a cohort of adults with ID and to investigate if these problems could be associated with dementia.

Mobility-related items were selected from clinical carer-rated instruments and participants' dementia statuses were based on assessments at two points in time. Fisher's exact test was used for comparisons between groups with and without suspected dementia. Logistic regression, adjusted for age and level of ID, was used to investigate associations between mobility and subsequent dementia.

At baseline (N = 85), the median age was 58 years, 39% were female, and 37% had Trisomy 21. Pain and low physical endurance were present in more than 50% of the participants. Low physical endurance was more prevalent among participants with suspected dementia than in those without suspected dementia (p = 0.016). Low physical endurance, adjusted for age and level of ID, was associated with dementia after 6 years (OR 9.349, p = 0.019).

Low physical endurance, when combined with other observations, could help carers identify individuals with ID who should be referred for a dementia assessment. However, the results need to be confirmed in larger samples.