Effect of muscle strength on gait in hemodialysis patients with and without diabetes.

There is minimal data on the gait of hemodialysis (HD) patients with and without diabetes. This investigation examined spatiotemporal parameters of gait in HD patients with and without diabetes compared with age-matched, sex-matched, and BMI-matched controls. The effect of muscle weakness on gait in HD patients was also examined. Eighteen HD patients and 18 age-matched, sex-matched, and BMI-matched controls completed two walking trials along a 7.9 m long pressure sensitive pathway. The HD participants were divided into groups based on their diabetic status (eight patients without diabetes and 10 with diabetes). Spatiotemporal markers of gait, including variability metrics, were determined. Knee strength was quantified only in the HD groups. Overall HD patients had a worse gait compared with controls (P<0.01). Furthermore, HD patients with diabetes had an elevated gait variability compared with those without diabetes, even after controlling for muscle strength (P<0.05). Further research is warranted to explore whether increases in lower extremity strength lead to improvements in gait in this population.