WALKING EXERCISE AND IMPROVED NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH CARDIAC DISEASE

Objectives. The present study examines the effects of exercise by walk ing on demented elderly patients with cardiac diseases. Design. Walkin g exercise, mental activity and brain atrophy were assessed by using t he number of steps, Hasegawa's dementia score and computed tomography, respectively. Setting/subjects. Forty-six elderly patients with cardi ac disease who were living in a metropolitan city. Interventions, The Hasegawa dementia score was determined for each patient. The memory sc ores were used to divide the patients into four groups: normal, > 30.0 ; subnormal, 30.0 similar to 22.0; predementia, 21.5 similar to 10.5; and dementia, < 10.0. The walking exercises were performed every day. We also studied the ratio of the fullness of the brain (S-1) to head s ize (S), represented as a percentage (S-1/S x 100). We screened our pa tients for depression by means of a self-rating depression test. Main outcome measures. Walking exercise and improved mental activities. Res ults, The mean numbers of the steps per day for the groups were 3386 /- 676 (normal), 1008 +/- 193 (subnormal), 1597 +/- 661 (pre-dementia) and almost no walking (dementia). The mean values of the S-1/S ratio for the first three groups were as follows: normal, 84.8 +/- 3.2; subn ormal, 79.2 +/- 4.3; and predementia, 76.8 +/- 4.9. Only one patient w as positive with regard to the depression test. Conclusions. The menta l activity of elderly cardiac patients with dementia and/or brain atro phy improved with exercise from walking.