Based on the linked source; automatically prepared and checked against the original report.
Study design
Researchers reviewed records from a multidisciplinary ALS Center of Excellence covering July 1, 2016, through July 1, 2019. The analysis included 72 adults with clinically definite ALS who were ambulatory at baseline, from 180 identified patients. Researchers assessed the 10-meter walk test alongside functional ratings, forced vital capacity, falls, and later ambulation status.
Gait-speed findings
A gait speed of 0.79 meters per second provided the best combined sensitivity and specificity for classifying ambulatory status at the following six-month visit. Bayesian logistic regression found that speeds above roughly 1.2 to 1.4 meters per second were associated with greater odds of remaining ambulatory at six months.
Implications and limits
The study associated speeds at or below the identified threshold with an increased likelihood of subsequent loss of ambulation, but reported only modest predictive accuracy. Its authors described gait speed as one possible component of power-wheelchair planning and referral decisions, rather than a standalone indicator. Because the review involved one center and a limited sample, larger multicenter studies are needed to assess generalizability across ALS phenotypes.
