Temporal and spatial gait characteristics of children with Hurler syndrome after umbilical cord blood transplantation

Abstract

Background and purpose: Recent medical advances are increasing the life expectancy of children with Hurler syndrome; however, little is known about the motor abilities of children who have received these medical interventions. The purpose of this study was to describe the temporal and spatial gait parameters of children with Hurler syndrome following umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) in reference to gait parameters of children with typical development.

Subjects: The group with Hurler syndrome consisted of 18 children between 19.6 and 96.8 months of age who were examined 1 to 4 times between 2.9 and 72.2 months after UCBT. Four hundred thirty-eight children with typical development between the ages of 14.4 and 131.8 months served as a comparison group.

Methods: Temporal and spatial gait parameters were assessed using a GAITRite electronic walkway. Step length, gait speed, and cadence were normalized for body stature.

Results: Children with Hurler syndrome had slower gait speeds and shorter step lengths than children with typical development at 2 and 3 years of age. Time since transplantation was a predictor of gait speed and step length.

Discussion and conclusion: Children with Hurler syndrome after UCBT were delayed in maturation of temporal and spatial gait parameters.