Different cutoff values for 10-m walking speed simply classification of walking independence in stroke patients with or without cognitive impairment

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to determine the threshold for classifying walkingindependence in stroke patients with and without cognitive disorders. [Subjects] Thesubjects were 130 patients with initial stroke hemiplegia. [Methods] The following factorswere analyzed for associations with walking independence: Brunnstrom stage, one-legstanding time on the paralytic side, one-leg standing time on the non-paralytic side, and10-m walking speed. We classified the patients with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)scores ≥24 points into the high-score group and those with MMSE scores of ≤23 points intothe low-score group and examined the main factors and cutoff values associated withwalking independence in each group. [Results] The high-score group included 69 subjects(53.1%), and the low-score group included 61 subjects (46.9%). The primary factorassociated with high MMSE scores among the stroke patients was the 10-m walking time.Using a cutoff level for the 10-m walking speed of 41.4 m/min resulted in a positivelikelihood ratio of 6.3. The primary factor associated with low MMSE scores among thestroke patients was the 10-m walking time. Using a cutoff level for the 10-m walking speedof 48.0 m/min resulted in a positive likelihood ratio of 7.6. [Conclusion] The cutoffvalue for the 10-m walking speed can be used to evaluate walking independence in patientswith stroke among patients with high or low MMSE scores.Key words: Walking, Cognition disorders, Stroke