CMT 1A patients with low level of impairment have a higher energy cost of walkin

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Neuromuscul Disord. 2010 Nov 11

Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A patients with low level of impairment have a higher

energy cost of walking than healthy individuals.

Menotti F, Felici F, Damiani A, Mangiola F, Vannicelli R, Macaluso A.

Department of Human Movement and Sport Sciences, University of Rome Foro

Italico, Rome, Italy.

Abstract

The study aimed at quantifying the walking energy cost of a group of

Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A patients (CMT1A), with low severity of walking

impairment, in comparison with healthy individuals. Oxygen uptake was measured

in 8 patients (age-range 20-48years; Barthel >90; Tinetti >20) and 8 healthy

individuals, matched for age and gender, when walking on a circuit for 5-min at

their self-selected speeds ( " slow " , " comfortable " and " fast " ). Both comfortable

and fast speeds were lower in patients than in the control group (0.92±0.16 vs

1.16±0.22 and 1.27±0.27 vs 1.61±0.22ms(-1), respectively; P<0.05), whereas

walking energy cost per unit of distance was higher in patients than in the

control group (P<0.05) at both " comfortable " (2.27±0.35 vs

1.92±0.21Jkg(-1)m(-1)) and " fast " speed (3.05±0.35 vs 2.37±0.42Jkg(-1)m(-1)).

CMT1A patients, therefore, choose to walk slower but with higher metabolic cost

compared to healthy individuals, despite no clinically evident walking

impairment, which is likely due to altered walking patterns.