Lower extremity function and subsequent risk of cardiovascular incidence among the elderly in China: evidence from a nationwide survey

Abstract Aims Given that little is known about the effect of lower extremity function (LEF) on cardiovascular disease (CVD) subsequent risk among older adults, the association between LEF and CVD in the older Chinese population was investigated by cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis using the nationally representative data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Methods The sample comprised 4636 participants aged at least 60 years from the CHARLS 2011. LEF was defined according to the short physical performance battery (SPPB) scores lower than 8. CVD was defined as the presence of physician-diagnosed heart disease and/or stroke. A total of 4636 participants were recruited from the CHARLS 2011 and were followed up in 2018. Results The prevalence of CVD in total populations, good LEF, normal LEF, and poor LEF individuals were 19.07%, 16.97%, 20.72%, 24.77%, respectively. Poor LEF was associated with CVD in total populations. In the longitudinal analysis, individuals with poor LEF were more likely to have incident CVD than good LEF peers, especially stroke. In CVD components, compared to good LEF, individuals with poor LEF had higher risks of heart disease and stroke, and they had higher risks of newly onset stroke but not newly onset heart disease. Conclusion The results suggest the potential usefulness of the short physical performance battery for classifying stroke risk in older Chinese adults, which also suggested that preventing and/or improving lower extremity function may be beneficial for reducing stroke incidence and promoting healthy aging for older adults.