Part of that questionnaire focused on physical functioning -- how well each person was able to perform daily activities like climbing stairs, carrying groceries, kneeling, bending and lifting.

In general, the study found, the better the score on the physical functioning measure, the lower the risk of suffering stroke over the next 7.5 years. For each 10-point increase in the physical functioning score, the risk of having stroke fell by about one-quarter, on average. The benefit was slightly greater than that among women, and somewhat lesser among men.

The researchers took into account "classical" risk factors for stroke -- such as smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and being overweight -- but poorer physical functioning itself remained a risk for stroke.

It's possible that physical functioning is indicative of general health, and may capture "subtle or sub-clinical" health problems that can put some people at greater stroke risk, Dr. Phyo K. Myint, the lead researcher on the study, told Reuters Health

"It is also possible that better physical functioning may reflect a healthier lifestyle, which may be protective for stroke," explained Myint, a research associate at the University of Cambridge in the UK.

In past research, Myint noted, he and his colleagues have found that people who do not smoke, get regular exercise and drink moderate amounts of alcohol tend to have better physical functioning.

For this study, the researchers assessed physical functioning with a 36-item questionnaire that is commonly used in the research setting, but not in doctors' offices, Myint pointed out.

However, he added, it might be possible to weed out the items most closely linked to stroke risk -- which could then give doctors a quick, simple tool to help spot at-risk patients.

SOURCE: Neurology, December 11, 2007.

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