Neurologic diseases presenting with gait impairment in the elderly

We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the underlying diseases and their frequencies in 50 consecutive patients older than 50 years of age admitted to our neurologic service because of walking difficulty. The diseases identified in our study were as follows: multiple cerebral infarcts, 24%; myelopathy, 22%; parkinsonism, 12%; cerebellar degeneration, 8%; other diseases, 24%; and unknown etiology, 10%. Potentially treatable causes of gait impairment were found in nearly one third of patients.