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Unsteady Gait in Older People May be a Common and Treatable Neurological Disease Associated With Increased Mortality

NCT07137403 · Status: ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 450

Last updated 2026-04-29

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

We live in an aging population and a third of the older population has a gait disorder that may cause institutionalization, and increased mortality. Sixteen percent of them have a slow, unsteady, neurological gait disorder, called Higher-Level Gait Disorder (HLGD). A known cause of HLGD is Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (INPH), which is a treatable neurological disease. More than half of individuals with HLGD meet the diagnostic criteria for INPH as they have wide brain ventricles on MRI images of the brain, but far from all of these are in contact with the healthcare system. Possibly, HLGD without wide brain ventricles and where no other known explanation for the symptom is found could be a variant of or a precursor to INPH.

Gait disorder is common among older people and can lead to falls and reduced quality of life. Complications after falls contribute to both increased mortality and increased costs in society. Therefore, it is important to have a solid knowledge of different types of gait disorders and how they can be treated. Our research will contribute with information about how HLGD affects the individual and how affected individuals can be investigated and helped.

The disease mechanisms behind INPH and often behind HLGD are unknown. It is also unknown how often older individuals are affected by HLGD and how high the mortality is for those affected. It is likely that the incidence of HLGD is high and that it is linked to an increased mortality. It is also likely that the disease mechanism behind the symptom is the same as that of INPH and that HLGD can be detected with the help of brain imaging.

In this epidemiological cohort study, we want to answer the following overarching questions:

What is the incidence and mortality of HLGD and INPH? Can HLGD be predicted using biomarkers and what disease mechanism causes HLGD?

Conditions

  • Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (INPH)
  • Gait Disorders, Neurologic
  • Gait Disorders in Old Age

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Region Västerbotten

    collaborator OTHER_GOV

  • The Swedish Brain Foundation (Hjärnfonden)

    collaborator UNKNOWN

  • Umeå University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Jenny Larsson, MD, PhD · Umeå University

Eligibility

Min Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-09-01
Primary Completion
2028-12-31
Completion
2029-12-31

Countries

  • Sweden

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07137403 on ClinicalTrials.gov