Cumulative effects of cognitive impairment and frailty on functional decline, falls and hospitalization: A four-year follow-up study with older adults

Risk factors and a nomogram for predicting cognitive frailty in Chinese patients with lung cancer receiving drug therapy: A single-center cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

To identify independent factors of cognitive frailty (CF) and construct a nomogram to predict cognitive frailty risk in patients with lung cancer receiving drug therapy.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, patients with lung cancer undergoing drug therapy from October 2022 to July 2023 were enrolled. The data collected includes general demographic characteristics, clinical data characteristics and assessment of tools for cognitive frailty and other factors. Logistic regression was harnessed to determine the influencing factors, R software was used to establish a nomogram model to predict the risk of cognitive frailty. The enhanced bootstrap method was employed for internal verification of the model. The performance of the nomogram was evaluated by using calibration curves, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and decision curve analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 372 patients were recruited, with a cognitive frailty prevalence of 56.2%. Age, education background, diabetes mellitus, insomnia, sarcopenia, and nutrition status were identified as independent factors. Then, a nomogram model was constructed and patients were classified into high- and low-risk groups with a cutoff value of 0.552. The internal validation results revealed good concordance, calibration and discrimination. The decision curve analysis presented prominent clinical utility.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of cognitive frailty was higher in lung cancer patients receiving drug therapy. The nomogram could identify the risk of cognitive frailty intuitively and simply in patients with lung cancer, so as to provide references for early screening and intervention for cognitive frailty at the early phases of drug treatment.

Mapping the landscape: A bibliometric analysis of information and communication technology adoption by older adults with cognitive frailty or impairment

The adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) by older adults with cognitive frailty and impairment is beneficial to support aging in place and promote healthy aging. However, data are scarce regarding the use of ICT by this demographic in comparison with other age groups. This bibliometric analysis was aimed at systematically mapping the literature on ICT-related research on older adults with cognitive frailty and cognitive impairment to provide insights into research trends, patterns and knowledge gaps. Data were extracted from the Web of Science database, which identified 324 publications between 1980 and 2023. Performance analysis and science mapping were carried out using Microsoft® Excel, VOSViewer and Harzing's Publish or Perish. The analysis showed an upsurge in the research output trend over time. Notable journals, authors, citations, nations and research areas have been documented. Four key clusters were identified, including: (i) caregiver concern, support and involvement; (ii) technology as a tool for cognitive training and cognitive rehabilitation; (iii) cognitive improvement; and (iv) the use of technology for prevention and self-management. The findings derived from this analysis provide an appropriate reference for future researchers to bridge the gap in ICT-related studies among this population, and distinguish the relevant articles that are required for further investigation. These include the need for further long-term research, the incorporation of ICT-based approaches to counter cognitive frailty and the importance of multidomain telehealth interventions. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 251-262.

Development and validation of a nomogram-assisted tool to predict potentially reversible cognitive frailty in Chinese community-living older adults

BACKGROUND

Cognitive frailty (CF) is a complex and heterogeneous clinical syndrome that indicates the onset of neurodegenerative processes and poor prognosis. In order to prevent the occurrence and development of CF in real world, we intended to develop and validate a simple and timely diagnostic instrument based on comprehensive geriatric assessment that will identify patients with potentially reversible CF (PRCF).

METHODS

750 community-dwelling individuals aged over 60 years were randomly allocated to either a training or validation set at a 4:1 ratio. We used the operator regression model offering the least absolute data dimension shrinkage and feature selection among candidate predictors. PRCF was defined as the presence of physical pre-frailty, frailty, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) occurring simultaneously. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to build a diagnostic tool to present data as a nomogram. The performance of the tool was assessed with respect to its calibration, discrimination, and clinical usefulness.

RESULTS

PRCF was observed in 326 patients (43%). Predictors in the tool were educational background, coronary heart disease, handgrip strength, gait speed, instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) disability, subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and five-times-sit-to-stand test. The diagnostic nomogram-assisted tool exhibited good calibration and discrimination with a C-index of 0.805 and a higher C-index of 0.845 in internal validation. The calibration plots demonstrated strong agreement in both the training and validation sets, while decision curve analysis confirmed the nomogram's efficacy in clinical practice.

CONCLUSIONS

This tool can effectively identify older adults at high risk for PRCF, enabling physicians to make informed clinical decisions and implement proper patient-centered individual interventions.

Prevalence of frailty and its association with oral hypofunction in older adults: a gender perspective

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have indicated an association between oral hypofunction and frailty in community-dwelling older adults. However, this issue has not been evaluated in institutionalized older patients. We aimed to determine the prevalence of physical frailty in this particularly vulnerable group and evaluate its association with oral hypofunction, analyzing possible differences by gender.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted in private and public care homes in Guayaquil (Ecuador) from January 2018 until December 2019. Participants were classified as robust, pre-frail, and frail according to the Fried's frailty phenotype. Oral hypofunction was defined as the presence of at least three positive items in the following list: poor oral hygiene, oral dryness, reduced occlusal force, decreased masticatory function, and deterioration of swallowing function. The relationships between frailty and oral hypofunction were analyzed using logistic regression models for the whole sample and stratified by gender. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA 15.0 software (Stata Corp. LP, College Station, TX, USA).

RESULTS

Among the 589 participants analyzed (65% women), the median age was 72 years (interquartile range: 66-82). Pre-frailty and frailty were presented in 66.7% and 28.9% of them respectively. Weakness was the most frequent item (84.6%). There was a significant relationship between frailty and oral hypofunction in women. In the overall sample, the frequency of frailty was 2.06 times higher (95% CI 1.30-3.29) in patients with oral hypofunction, and this association was maintained in women (ORa: 2.18; 95% CI 1.21-3.94). Reduced occlusal force and decreased swallowing function were items significantly associated with the presence of frailty (ORa: 1.95; 95% CI 1.18-3.22 and ORa: 2.11; 95% CI 1.39-3.19, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty was high among institutionalized older people and was associated with the presence of hypofunction, especially in women. Decreased swallowing function was the most strongly item associated with frailty.

Association between cognitive frailty and falls among older community dwellers in China: A Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey-based study

Background

The combined effect of cognitive impairment (CoI) and frailty on falls is controversial. This study aimed to explore whether older adults with cognitive frailty (CF) were at a higher risk of falls than those with only CoI or frailty and to present a fall prediction model based on CF.

Methods

A total of 4,067 adults aged ≥ 60 years were included from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey through face-to-face interviews. Cognitive function and frailty were assessed using the mini-mental state examination scale and frailty index, respectively. Logistic regression was used to determine fall-associated risk factors and develop a fall prediction model. A nomogram was then plotted. The model performance was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC), concordance index (C-index), and calibration curve. All analyses were performed using SPSS and R statistical packages.

Results

The prevalence of CF and falls were 1.4 and 19.4%, respectively. After adjusting for covariates, the odds ratio of CF, frailty only, and CoI only for falls were 2.27 (95% CI: 1.29-3.97), 1.41 (95% CI: 1.16-1.73), and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.43-2.29), respectively. CF, sex, age, hearing difficulty, depression, anxiety, disability in instrumental activities of daily living, and serious illness in the past 2 years were independently associated with falls. A prediction model based on these factors yielded an AUC of 0.646 and a C-index of 0.641.

Conclusion

Cognitive frailty (CF) exerted a cumulative effect on falls than did CoI or frailty alone. Joint assessments of cognitive function and frailty status may be beneficial for fall risk screening in community. A prediction model using CF as a factor could be helpful for this process.

Association between daytime napping and cognitive impairment among Chinese older population: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Both napping and nighttime sleep duration have been reported to be associated with cognitive function in older adults, whereas little is known about the association between daytime napping and cognitive impairment in different nighttime sleep duration subgroups. This study aimed to explore the correlation between daytime napping and cognitive impairment across nighttime sleep duration subgroups.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted by using the fourth survey of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). We utilized the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale to define cognitive impairment, and the daytime napping and nighttime sleep duration was self-reported by individuals. We applied the Restricted Cubic Spline (RCS) to analysis the dose-response relationships between daytime napping and cognitive impairment. And the multivariate Logistic Regression Model (LRM) was performed to evaluate the association of daytime napping and cognitive impairment.

RESULTS

A total of 3,052 individuals were included, of which 769 were cognitive impairment. The RCS showed there were non-linear association between daytime napping and cognitive impairment in all participants group and longer nighttime sleep duration subgroup (PNon-linear < 0.05, PDaytime napping < 0.05). The LRM revealed no napping (OR = 1.62, 95%CI 1.14-2.30) and excessive napping (1.64 95%CI 1.09-2.48) were related to cognitive impairment in longer nighttime sleep duration subgroup.

CONCLUSIONS

Daytime napping had nonlinear association with cognitive impairment in Chinese elderly population. No napping and excessive daytime napping (>90 minutes) were related to cognitive impairment in participants with 7 and more hours nighttime sleep duration.

Cognitive Frailty as a Predictor of Future Falls in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES

To examine the association between cognitive frailty and the risk of future falls among older adults.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Older people aged ≥60 years with cognitive frailty from community, hospital, or both.

METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Wanfang Database, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database (CNKI), Weipu Database (VIP), and Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM) were searched for relevant studies published from the inception of the database until June 14, 2022. Stata 16.0 software was used to perform the meta-analysis. A random effects model was used to pool the prevalence of falls in older adults over age 60 years with cognitive frailty and the strength of the association between cognitive frailty and falls [odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs]. Quality assessment, heterogeneity, and sensitivity analyses were also conducted. A study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022331323).

RESULTS

The review included 18 studies in qualitative synthesis, 14 of which were in meta-analysis. Eleven sets of cross-sectional data involving 23,025 participants and 5 sets of longitudinal data involving 11,924 participants were used in the meta-analysis. The results showed that the overall prevalence of falls in 1742 people with cognitive frailty was 36.3% (95% CI 27.9-44.8, I² = 93.4%). Longitudinal study results showed that cognitively frail individuals had a higher risk of falls (OR 3.02, 95% CI 2.11-4.32, I² = 0.0%, P = .406), compared to robust participants without cognitive impairment; physically frail people (alone) had a moderate risk of falls (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.42-3.30, I² = 9.7%, P = .351); cognitively impaired people (alone) had a lower risk of falls (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.03-1.79, I² = 0.0%, P = .440). Among cross-sectional studies, cognitive frailty was associated with the risk of falls (OR 2.74, 95% CI 2.20-3.40, I² = 53.1%, P = .019). Although high heterogeneity was noted among 11 cross-sectional studies reporting ORs, the sensitivity analysis showed that no single study significantly affected the final pooled results.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

This systematic review and meta-analysis confirms the findings that cognitive frailty was demonstrated to be a significant predictor of future falls in older adults. However, further prospective investigations are warranted.

Investigating the relationship between specific executive functions and functional decline among community-dwelling older adults: results from a prospective pilot study

BACKGROUND

As cognitive functions and, more specifically, executive functions (EF) seem to influence autonomy among the elderly, we investigated the role of each of the five EF sub-components (inhibition, spontaneous flexibility, reactive flexibility, planning, and updating in working memory) for the risk of functional decline.

METHOD

A total of 137 community-dwelling participants over 75 years of age were included in a prospective cohort study and assigned to three groups: individuals with neuro-degenerative cognitive disorders, those having cognitive disorders with non-degenerative aetiology, and a control group without any cognitive problems. We measured each EF sub-component and assessed functional decline by evaluating basic (b-ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (i-ADL) at baseline and 6 months later. We conducted three separate multiple logistic regression models to examine the extent to which the five EF facets predicted overall functional decline at the end of the follow-up period.

RESULTS

We found that people who exhibited a decline in b-ADLs or/and i-ADLs over 6 months had worse performance on inhibition and two flexibility tasks than those who did not experience a decline. The results suggest that decliners have more difficulties in managing unforeseen events. Inhibition and updating in working memory predicted a decline in b-ADL while spontaneous and reactive flexibilities predicted a decline in i-ADL.

CONCLUSION

In our sample, specific executive dysfunctions were associated with a decline in functional status. With respect to the risk of decline in b-ADL, deficits in inhibition may represent a risk factor, as it regulates over-learned activities. Bothtypes of flexibility, which allow the shifting and generating of adaptive responses, predicted decline in i-ADL. In sum, paying more attention to particular EF profiles would help clinicians to anticipate some aspects of functional decline.

The effect of different types of physical activity on cognitive reaction time in older adults in China

Introduction

Aging is not only reflected in the degeneration of physiological functions but is also embodied in the decline of psychological and cognitive functions. The decline of cognitive function can reduce the quality of life in older adults, and even potentially cause Alzheimer's disease, which may lead to a heavy burden on patients, families, and society. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of physical activity (PA) on cognitive reaction time in older adults.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey design was used in this study. A total of 839 elderly subjects were recruited from Beijing and Shanghai. In total, 792 subjects met the inclusion criteria (age > 60 years, without disability, speech, and hearing impairment), including 384 men (age:67.7 ± 5.7 years) and 408 women (age: 68.2 ± 5.8 years). The PA was assessed by the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE). All kinds of PA were divided into three levels: "Low" (< 50% average score), "Moderate" (50-150% average score), and "High" (>150% average score). The reaction time of subjects was measured by the selective reaction tester (Model: CSTF-XF, TFHT, Beijing, China).

Results

For leisure-time PA, the results showed that the cognitive reaction time of older adults in the "Low" group (1.11 ± 0.32 s) was significantly longer than that in the "Moderate" group (1.05 ± 0.30 s, p < 0.01) and the "High" group (0.99 ± 0.28 s, p < 0.01). For housework PA, there was no significant difference in the cognitive reaction time among the three groups ("Low": 1.09 ± 0.31 s; "Moderate": 1.07 ± 0.31 s; "High": 1.05 ± 0.28 s, p > 0.05). For work-related PA, the results showed that the cognitive reaction time of older adults in the "Low" group (1.09 ± 0.30 s) was significantly longer than that in the "High" group (0.99 ± 0.28 s) and the "Moderate" group (1.03 ± 0.32 s, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

The PA has a positive effect on reducing cognitive reaction time in older adults. It is recommended that older adults maintain a moderate level of leisure PA and work-related PA to delay the decline in cognitive reaction time.

Impact of frailty, mild cognitive impairment and cognitive frailty on adverse health outcomes among community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Aims

This study analyzes the impact of frailty, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitive frailty on adverse outcomes in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods

This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using the PRISMA guidelines and MOOSE statement. We developed a specific search strategy for each electronic database and searched PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and Embase from initial records to July 2021. The studies on adverse outcomes of frailty, pre-frailty, mild cognitive impairment, and mild cognitive impairment with pre-frailty and cognitive frailty were included. Two researchers independently extracted data based on a spreadsheet and assessed the risk of bias. The primary outcomes were mortality, dementia, disability, and hospitalization. The second outcome included quality of life and falls. All analysis was conducted by using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.3 software.

Results

A total of 22 cohort studies (71,544 older adults with mean age ranging from 65.1 to 93.6 years) were included with a low risk of bias and high methodological quality with a NOS score ≥7. Compared to robust elders, individuals identified as frailty were associated with a higher risk of mortality (RR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.57–2.83) and disability (RR = 5.91, 95% CI: 2.37–14.74). Mild cognitive impairment with pre-frailty was associated with mortality (RR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.48–2.05) and dementia (RR = 4.15, 95% CI: 1.87–9.20). Pre-frailty was associated with a higher risk of mortality (RR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.11–1.50). Cognitive frailty was associated with higher risk of incident mortality (RR = 2.41, 95% CI: 1.97–2.94), dementia (RR = 3.67, 95% CI: 2.81–4.78), disability (RR = 11.32, 95% CI: 4.14–30.97), and hospitalization (RR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.60–3.32), as well as poor quality of life.

Conclusion

Cognitive frailty could be a comprehensive psychosomatic predictor for adverse outcomes among older people. Interactions between frailty, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitive frailty on adverse outcomes must be further explored.

Systematic review registration

[https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-5-0064/], identifier [INPLASY202250064].

The combined effects of physical frailty and cognitive impairment on emergency department- versus direct-admission hospitalizations

BACKGROUND

We aimed to study whether physical frailty and cognitive impairment (CI) increase the risk of recurrent hospitalizations in older adults, independent of comorbidity, and disability.

METHODS

Two thousand five hundred forty-nine community-dwelling participants from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) with 3 + years of continuous Medicare coverage from linked claims data were included. We used the marginal means/rates recurrent events model to investigate the association of baseline CI (mild CI or dementia) and physical frailty, separately and synergistically, with the number of all-source vs. Emergency Department (ED)-admission vs. direct admission hospitalizations over 2 years.

RESULTS

17.8% of participants had at least one ED-admission hospitalization; 12.7% had at least one direct admission hospitalization. Frailty and CI, modeled separately, were both significantly associated with risk of recurrent all-source (Rate Ratio (RR) = 1.24 for frailty, 1.21 for CI; p < .05) and ED-admission (RR = 1.49 for frailty, 1.41 for CI; p < .05) hospitalizations but not direct admission, adjusting for socio-demographics, obesity, comorbidity and disability. When CI and frailty were examined together, 64.3% had neither (Unimpaired); 28.1% CI only; 3.5% Frailty only; 4.1% CI + Frailty. Compared to those Unimpaired, CI alone and CI + Frailty were predictive of all-source (RR = 1.20, 1.48, p < .05) and ED-admission (RR = 1.36, 2.14, p < .05) hospitalizations, but not direct admission, in our adjusted model.

CONCLUSIONS

Older adults with both CI and frailty experienced the highest risk for recurrent ED-admission hospitalizations. Timely recognition of older adults with CI and frailty is needed, paying special attention to managing cognitive impairment to mitigate preventable causes of ED admissions and potentiate alternatives to hospitalization.

The Correlation Between Falls and Cognitive Frailty in Elderly Individuals With Hypertension in a Chinese Community

Background

Cognitive frailty refers to the presence of both physical frailty and mild cognitive impairment without simultaneous diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or other dementia. Epidemiological studies have confirmed the correlation between falls and cognitive frailty, but no study has investigated the relationship between fall risk and cognitive frailty in hypertensive elderly Chinese individuals.

Methods

From December 2020 to March 2021, during face-to-face interviews, community-dwelling elderly individuals with hypertension aged 60~89 in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, were evaluated for cognitive frailty, fall history, and depression, and sociodemographic characteristics were collected. Logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between falls and cognitive frailty.

Results

A total of 305 elderly people were investigated in this study, and 173 (56.7%, 95% CI =51.2%~62.2%) reported falling once or more in the previous year. Cognitive frailty is closely related to falls and was an independent risk factor for falls (OR = 2.661, 95% CI = 1.063~6.659). Other risk factors included old age (OR = 4.306, 95% CI = 1.852~10.013), female sex (OR = 1.988, 95% CI = 1.185~3.335) and depression (OR = 2.936, 95% CI = 1.069~8.060).

Conclusion

Cognitive frailty is an important risk factor for falls in elderly individuals with hypertension in Chinese communities.

Association between Cognitive Frailty and Adverse Outcomes among Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to pool the effect size of the association between cognitive frailty and adverse outcomes (e.g., falls, disability, and hospitalization) among older adults.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Embase were searched from their respective inceptions to June 1, 2022. We extracted prospective cohort studies that reported the association between cognitive frailty and adverse outcomes. Random or fixed-effects models based on heterogeneity were used to pool the effect sizes of independent associations of cognitive frailty, frailty only, and cognitive impairment only with each adverse outcome.

RESULTS

Fifteen studies involving 49,122 older adults were included in the meta-analysis. Older adults with cognitive frailty had higher odds ratios (OR) for falls (1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29-2.58), disability (3.17, 95%CI: 2.24-4.48), and hospitalization (1.78, 95%CI: 1.48-2.14) compared with those without frailty and cognitive impairment. Older adults with frailty only demonstrated a high risk for falls (pooled OR 1.76, 95%CI: 1.25-2.48), disability (pooled OR 1.82, 95%CI: 1.43-2.33), and hospitalization (pooled OR 1.64, 95% CI: 1.45-1.85). The influence of cognitive impairment only on adverse outcomes was lower compared with cognitive frailty or frailty. Subgroup analyses showed that those with cognitive frailty (defined by the frailty phenotype plus Mini-Mental State Examination) were at greater risk for developing adverse outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that cognitive frailty is an independent risk factor for adverse outcomes (e.g., falls, disability, and hospitalization). Early screening and comprehensive intervention may improve cognitive frailty and reduce the risk for adverse outcomes among older adults.

Accumulated cognitive impairment, frailty, burden, and perceived stress and the risk of hospitalization and mortality in older caregivers

Combination of cognitive impairment, frailty, perceived stress, and excessive burden poses a risk to the health of caregivers.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Cognitive Frailty in Aging Hypertensive Patients in China

Hypertension is one of the most common chronic diseases and a major risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death. Cognitive frailty is an important predictor of all-cause mortality and dementia in aging individuals. Hypertension is closely related to cognitive frailty and these two conditions often coexist in aging individuals. Few studies have explored the relationship between hypertension and cognitive frailty in the Chinese population. This study investigates the epidemiological characteristics of and factors related to cognitive frailty in aging Chinese patients with hypertension. In total, cognitive function, weakness, social support, depression and sociodemographic were assessed in 305 participants aged 60 and over. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were constructed. The prevalence of cognitive frailty in aging Chinese hypertensive patients was 9.8% (95% CI = 6.4–13.2%). After adjusting for confounding variables, logistic regression showed that the course of hypertension (6–10 years, OR = 8.588, 95% CI = 1.608–45.859;course of more than 10 years, OR = 9.020, 95%CI = 1.854–43.892), multimorbidity (OR = 11.231, 95% CI = 2.912–43.322), depression (OR = 6.917, 95% CI = 2.424–19.738) and social support (OR = 0.187, 95% CI = 0.071–0.492) were independently associated with cognitive frailty. The prevalence of cognitive frailty in aging patients with hypertension in China should not be ignored. The course of hypertension, multimorbidity and depression are the risk factors of cognitive frailty in the aging population and a better level of social support is the protective factor for cognitive frailty.

Impacts of stroke and cognitive impairment on activities of daily living in the Taiwan longitudinal study on aging

Stroke and cognitive impairment are common in older population. They often occur together and their combined effects significantly increase disability in both basic (BADLs) and instrumental (IADLs) activities of daily living. We investigated the individual and combined impacts of stroke and cognitive impairment on BADLs and IADLs. A total of 3331 community-dwelling older adults were enrolled from the Taiwan longitudinal study on aging in 2011. Both BADLs and IADLs were analyzed. Combination of stroke and cognitive impairment increased severity of ADL disabilities, but similar prevalence, similar numbers of summed BADL and IADL tasks with disability, and similar levels of difficulty for each BADL and IADL task were found between the stroke group and cognitive impairment group. The former had more difficult in dressing while the latter had more difficult in using the telephone, transport, and managing finances. A hierarchy of ADLs was also observed in all groups. ADL skill training supplemented with cognitive and physical interventions should focus on secondary prevention of dementia and improve motor functional capacity to reduce loss of ADLs.

Protein Intake and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction:

The present study investigated the association between protein intake and cognitive function in older adults.

Methods:

We performed a literature search with no restriction on publication year in MEDLINE, SCOPUS, CINAHL, AgeLine from inception up to October 2020. Observational studies that investigated as a primary or secondary outcome the association of protein intake and cognitive function in older adults aged ⩾60 years were included.

Results:

Nine cross-sectional studies that investigated a total of 4929 older adults were included in the qualitative analysis. Overall cognitive function was examined in 6 studies. Four investigations reported null associations and 2 studies found that older adults with a high protein intake had higher global cognitive function than their counterparts. Results from the meta-analysis suggested that there were no significant associations between protein consumption and global cognitive function in older adults, regardless of gender. Three studies investigated other cognitive domains. Memory and protein intake were significantly and positively correlated in all studies. In addition, visuospatial, verbal fluency, processing speed, and sustained attention were positively associated with protein consumption in 1 study each.

Conclusion:

No significant associations between protein intake and global cognitive function were observed in neither qualitative nor quantitative analyses. The association between protein consumption with multiple other cognitive domains were also tested. As a whole, 3 studies reported a positive and significant association between high protein intake and memory, while 1 study observed a significant and positive association with visuospatial, verbal fluency, processing speed, and sustained attention.

Association between Frailty and 90-Day Outcomes amongst the Chinese Population: A Hospital-Based Multicentre Cohort Study

INTRODUCTION

Frailty has gained increasing attention as it is by far the most prevalent geriatric condition amongst older patients which heavily impacts chronic health status. However, the relationship between frailty and adverse health outcomes in China is far from clear. This study explored the relation between frailty and a panel of adverse health outcomes.

METHODS

We performed a multicentre cohort study of older inpatients at 6 large hospitals in China, with two-stage cluster sampling, from October 2018 to April 2019. Frailty was measured according to the FRAIL scale and categorized into robust, pre-frail, and frail. A multivariable logistic regression model and multilevel multivariable negative binomial regression model were used to analyse the relationship between frailty and adverse outcomes. Outcomes were length of hospitalization, as well as falls, readmission, and mortality at 30 and 90 days after enrolment. All regression models were adjusted for age, sex, BMI, surgery, and hospital ward.

RESULTS

We included 9,996 inpatients (median age 72 years and 57.8% male). The overall mortality at 30 and 90 days was 1.23 and 1.88%, respectively. At 30 days, frailty was an independent predictor of falls (odds ratio [OR] 3.19; 95% CI 1.59-6.38), readmission (OR 1.45; 95% CI 1.25-1.67), and mortality (OR 3.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.10-5.96), adjusted for age, sex, BMI, surgery, and hospital ward clustering effect. At 90 days, frailty had a strong predictive effect on falls (OR 2.10; 95% CI 1.09-4.01), readmission (OR 1.38; 95% CI 1.21-1.57), and mortality (OR 6.50; 95% CI 4.00-7.97), adjusted for age, sex, BMI, surgery, and hospital ward clustering effect. There seemed to be a dose-response association between frailty categories and fall or mortality, except for readmission.

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty is closely related to falls, readmission, and mortality at 30 or 90 days. Early identification and intervention for frailty amongst older inpatients should be conducted to prevent adverse outcomes.

Ankle-Brachial Index Is a Predictor of In-Hospital Functional Status but Not of Complications in Hospitalized Elderly Patients

INTRODUCTION

Atherosclerosis causes a chronic reduction of vascularization with consequent impairment of the performance of organs, like the brain or muscles, which determines the functional and cognitive decline of the elderly and their ability to respond to acute stressful condition. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate if ankle brachial index (ABI) could effectively be a determinant of in-hospital functional status and complications in elderly hospitalized patients.

METHODS

This is a monocentric cross-sectional study of 189 patients aged 65 years or older. The study was undertaken at the Internal Medicine ward of Niguarda Hospital in Milan. ABI (BOSO ABY-System 100) and in-hospital status (activities of daily living, ADL and instrumental activities of daily living, IADL) were collected on the second day of hospitalization. Complications (falls and delirium episodes) were also recorded during the whole hospitalization period.

RESULTS

The average age of patients was 79.3 ± 6.9 years. Among outcomes, only ADL (r = 0.192, p = 0.007) and IADL score (r = 0.200, p = 0.005) showed significant correlation with ABI. Moreover, during the subsequent logistic regression, ABI remained among the statistically significant determinants of both scores (β = 0.231, p = 0.013 and β = 0.314, p = 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The main result of our study is the finding of ABI as a significant determinant of acute in-hospital functional impairment (evaluated as ADL and IADL scores). The continuous exposure of the brain and muscles to the reduced perfusions induced by vascular atherosclerosis, probably determined the reduced ability to respond to stressful conditions.

Heterogeneous Influence of Frailty Phenotypes in Age-Related Hearing Loss and Tinnitus in Chinese Older Adults: An Explorative Study

Background

Fried physical frailty, with mobility frailty and non-motor frailty phenotypes, is a heterogeneous syndrome. The coexistence of the two phenotypes and cognitive impairment is referred to as cognitive frailty (CF). It remains unknown whether frailty phenotype has a different association with hearing loss (HL) and tinnitus.

Methods

Of the 5,328 community-dwelling older adults, 429 participants aged ≥58 years were enrolled in the study. The participants were divided into robust, mobility, and non-mobility frailty, mobility and non-mobility CF (subdivided into reversible and potentially reversible CF, RCF, and PRCF), and cognitive decline [subdivided into mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and pre-MCI] groups. The severity and presentations of HL and/or tinnitus were used as dependent variables in the multivariate logistic or nominal regression analyses with forward elimination adjusted for frailty phenotype stratifications and other covariates.

Results

Patients with physical frailty (mobility frailty) or who are robust were found to have lower probability of developing severe HL and tinnitus, and presented HL and/or tinnitus than those with only cognitive decline, or CF. Patients with RCF and non-mobility RCF had higher probability with less HL and tinnitus, and the presentation of HL and/or tinnitus than those with PRCF and mobility RCF. Other confounders, age, cognitive and social function, cardiovascular disease, depression, and body mass index, independently mediated the severity of HL and tinnitus, and presented HL and/or tinnitus.

Conclusion

Frailty phenotypes have divergent association with HL and tinnitus. Further research is required to understand the differential mechanisms and the personalized intervention of HL and tinnitus.

Clinical Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT2017K020.

Cognitive Frailty and Falls in a National Cohort of Older Chinese Inpatients

Previous studies have investigated the association between cognitive frailty and falls among older adults in community; however, no study investigated this relationship among older patients living in hospital. This study aimed to examine the relationship of cognitive frailty with falls among older inpatients in Chinese hospital.

METHODS

This analysis consisted of 9192 older inpatients aged 65 years or over from six hospitals in China. We used FRAIL scale and Mini-Cog to assess frailty and cognitive impairment, respectively. A generalized estimating equation was used to examine the relationship between cognitive frailty and falls at 30-day follow-up.

RESULTS

Among 9192 older inpatients enrolled in this present study, the mean (SD) age was 72.40(5.72) years, with 3850(41.88%) women. The cross-sectional analysis found that after controlling for variables (age, gender, education, depression, and hospital ward cluster effect), hospitalized patients with cognitive frailty, frailty only, or cognitive impairment only at baseline were all associated with history of falls (P<0.05). At 30-day follow-up, generalized estimating equation with full-adjustment showed that inpatients with cognitive frailty were at greater risk of falls than those of non-frail and cognitive intact (OR=3.0,95%CI:1.32-6.83). This association was also observed in individuals with frailty only (OR=2.11,95%CI:1.04-4.27) but not for patients with cognitive impairment only((OR=1.11,95%CI:0.43-2.85).

CONCLUSION

Our study suggested that hospitalized Chinese older adults with cognitive frailty were independently associated with falls. Early screening frailty and cognitive impairment were significant for older patients by clinicians, and corresponding interventions, exercise training and nutritional programs, should be implemented to prevent falls.

What Role Does Activity Engagement Play in the Association between Cognitive Frailty and Falls among Older Adults? Evidence from Rural Shandong, China

INTRODUCTION

Previous studies have demonstrated the relationship between cognitive frailty and falls among older adults. Activity engagement (AE) is known to be related to falls in older adults but the subject has been limited to empirical study. This study aimed to explore the mediating role of AE between cognitive frailty and falls among older adults in rural Shandong, China.

METHODS

A total of 3,242 rural seniors (age ≥60 years; 63.6% women) were included in this cross-sectional study. Regression and bootstrap analyses were performed to explore the mediating role of AE between cognitive frailty and falls.

RESULTS

The prevalence of falls was 13.1% and the prevalence of cognitive frailty was 6.6% among the participants. AE mediated the association between cognitive frailty and falls (95% CI 0.077-0.223). However, the direct effect was no longer significant after being adjusted for AE (95% CI -0.037 to 0.684; p = 0.078).

CONCLUSION

Cognitive frailty was found to be associated with falls among rural older adults, and AE mediated this association. More attention should be paid to promote AE among Chinese rural older adults with cognitive frailty.