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Background. Identifying mobility disability risk factors may facilitate development of interventions promoting functional independence in older persons. We tested the hypothesis that musculoskeletal pain is associated with first occurrence of severe mobility disability. Methods. In a prospective observational study at 40 community-based sites, 759 older Catholic clergy in the Rush Religious Orders Study without baseline dementia, stroke, Parkinson's disease, or severe performance-based mobility disability (defined as gait speed less than or equal to 0.4 m/s) and at least one follow-up mobility evaluation were evaluated over a mean of 8.5 (SD = 3.8) years. All participants were queried about musculoskeletal pain in the year before baseline and underwent annual assessment of mobility. Results. Using a proportional hazards model adjusted for age, sex, and education, the hazard for incident severe mobility disability was greater for participants reporting pain in the year before baseline (odds ratio = 1.47, 95% confidence interval = 1.17–1.85). Results were unchanged after adjusting for self-reported mobility disability, gait speed, depressive symptoms, body mass index, physical activity, chronic medical conditions, and analgesic use. Compared with no report of musculoskeletal pain, musculoskeletal pain in one or two areas was associated with a 30% greater hazard for incident disability (odds ratio = 1.31, 95% confidence interval = 1.00–1.70). Musculoskeletal pain in three or more areas was associated with an 80% greater hazard for incident disability (odds ratio = 1.80, 95% confidence interval = 1.31–2.47). In participants without baseline self-reported mobility disability (n = 486), musculoskeletal pain was associated with greater hazard for incident self-reported mobility disability (odds ratio = 1.38, 95% confidence interval = 1.11–1.73). Conclusion. In older persons, musculoskeletal pain is associated with incident mobility disability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Cerebrovascular events, dementia, and cancer can contribute to physical disability with activities of daily living (ADL). It is unclear whether low-dose aspirin reduces this burden in aging populations. In a secondary analysis, we now examine aspirin's effects on incident and persistent ADL disability within a primary prevention aspirin trial in community-dwelling older adults.Methods: The ASPREE (ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) trial of daily 100 mg aspirin versus placebo recruited 19 114 healthy adults aged 70+ years (65+ years if U.S. minority) in Australia and the United States. Six basic ADLs were assessed every 6 months. Incident ADL disability was defined as inability or severe difficulty with ≥1 ADL; persistence was confirmed if the same ADL disability remained after 6 months. Proportional hazards modeling compared time to incident or persistent ADL disability for aspirin versus placebo; death without prior disability was a competing risk.Results: Over a median of 4.7 years, incident ADL disability was similar in those receiving aspirin (776/9525) and placebo (787/9589) with walking, bathing, dressing, and transferring the most commonly reported. Only 24% of incident ADL disability progressed to persistent. Persistent ADL disability was lower in the aspirin group (4.3 vs 5.3 events/1000 py; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.81, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.66-1.00), with bathing and dressing the most common ADL disabilities in both groups. Following persistent ADL disability, there were more deaths in the aspirin group (24 vs 12).Discussion: Low-dose aspirin in initially healthy older people did not reduce the risk of incident ADL disability, although there was evidence of reduced persistent ADL disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]