[Frailty: a phenotype under review]

Floor Maze Test is capable of differentiating spatial navigation between frail and pre-frail institutionalized older persons

Investigation of the association between physical frailty and cognitive performance through spatial navigation is important to enable the identification of individuals with cognitive impairment and physical comorbidity.

Objective

To analyze the association between spatial navigation and frailty in frail and pre-frail institutionalized older adults.

Methods

Forty older people of both sexes, aged 60 years or over, residing in four Brazilian Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs) participated in this study. The following tests were applied: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), 2.44m Timed Up and Go, Floor Maze Test (FMT), and Fried's frailty criteria. For data analysis, the Mann-Whitney and independent t-tests were used to compare the groups (frail x pre-frail), principal component analysis was used to explore the main variables related to the data variance, and binary logistic regression to estimate associations.

Results

There was a significant difference in performance in the FMT immediate maze time (IMT) (p=0.02) and in the delayed maze time (DMT) (p=0.009) between the pre-frail and frail older adults. An association between FMT DMT performance and frailty was found, showing that older people with shorter times on the DMT (better performance) had approximately four times the chance of not being frail (odds ratio - OR=4.219, 95% confidence interval - 95%CI 1.084-16.426, p=0.038).

Conclusion

Frailty is associated with impaired spatial navigation ability in institutionalized older adults, regardless of gait speed performance.

Frailty in Older Adults and Internal and Forced Migration in Urban Neighborhood Contexts in Colombia

Objective: We investigated the association between the density of internal human migration, in the urban neighborhood, on frailty in the older adult population in Colombia. Methods: The data used in this study are from four Colombian population surveys. We analyzed 633 census tracts with a sample of 2,194 adults 60 years and over for frailty (measured using the Fried criteria). We considered the proportion of inhabitants in a census tract with a history of internal migration as the exposure variable considering three temporalities. For contextual forced migration, we identified two types: 5-year, and 1-year. Poisson multivariable regression models with two hierarchical levels (individual and census tracts) were estimated. Results: The prevalence of pre-fragile/frailty was 80.63% [CI 95%: 77.67, 83.28]. The prevalence ratio were significantly higher for the older adults who live in neighborhoods where a higher proportion of internal migrants reside. Conclusion: We conclude that older adults who lived in neighborhoods with a high proportion of internal migrants experience more frailty. Potential explanations are that neighborhoods with high internal migration could experience social (l increase in cultural heterogeneity, in the perception of insecurity, violence and physical conditions (pressure on local economies and services, leading elderly residents to compete for neighborhood resources), translated into social stress.

Frailty Status Typologies in Spanish Older Population: Associations with Successful Aging

Background: Defining frailty typologies would contribute to guiding specific care interventions. These typologies could additionally be related to different health outcomes. This study aims at identifying subgroups of frail older adults based on the physical frailty phenotype and examining the relationships of these frailty profiles with quality of life and perceived health. Methods: This study relies on data from the SHARE project, namely a representative sample of 1765 Spanish-dwelling older adults identified as frail or pre-frail. Analysis included general descriptive statistics, exploratory latent class analysis (LCA) to determine the number of frailty subgroups, and LCA with covariates to examine differential relationships with markers of successful aging. Results: Statistical criteria and interpretability of the classes suggested that the LCA model with four classes should be retained. Class 1 was identified as the “frail people” group, Class 2 “activity problems” group, Class 3 “fatigued” group, and those belonging to Class 4 “lack of strength” group. Final LCA with covariates showed lower levels of quality of life and perceived health of the “frail” as compared to other frailty subgroups. Conclusion: This study revealed four different patterns of frailty attributes and further offered evidence on individuals’ differential status of health regarding distinct frailty conditions.

Variables associated with frailty in a hospital population in Colombia

INTRODUCTION: Frailty predicts functional decline and could be associated with adverse outcomes such as disability, multiple hospitalizations, falls, loss of mobility, and cardiovascular disease. In Colombia 12.5% of prevalence has been reported. In the present study, the different clinical variables associated with frailty were evaluated in a population of hospitalized patients older than 65 years in Bucaramanga, Colombia, in order to predict the behavior of these variables to generate measurement tools of greater applicability than that of currently existing tools. METHODS: An analytical observational cross-sectional study with nonprobabilistic sampling was conducted from January 2016 to June 2017 in patients older than 65 years of follow-up > 48 hours by the internal medicine service. Fried criteria were used to evaluate patients on their last day of hospitalization. RESULTS: A total of 155 patients were included, of whom 60.6% were frail. A combined analysis of the variables that showed association with frailty revealed that a calf circumference lower than or equal to 31 cm, a gait speed lower than or equal to 0.8 m/s, and age above 75 years were associated with frailty. It was also shown that being male and having a BMI > 27 kg/m2 are protective factors for frailty. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of frailty in hospitalized older adults was higher than that reported in local studies for the community population. According to multivariate analysis, the variables, when analyzed together, have a predictive ability of 92% to estimate frailty in hospitalized patients.

Body composition and frailty profiles in Brazilian older people: Frailty in Brazilian Older People Study-FIBRA-BR

OBJECTIVE

To determine the association between body composition and frailty in older Brazilian subjects.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This is a Cross-sectional study called FIBRA-BR and developed in community Brazilian aged ≥65 (n=5638). Frailty was assessed according to Fried et al. definition and body composition was determined by BMI, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio.

RESULTS

The lowest prevalence of frailty was observed in subjects with BMI between 25.0 and 29.9kg/m². Subjects with a BMI <18.5 and those with elevated WC presented a higher risk of frailty compared to eutrophic subjects (odds ratio (OR)=3.10; 95% CI: 2.06-4.67) and (OR=1.15; 95% CI: 1.03-1.27), respectively. Being overweight was protective for pre-frailty (OR=0.48; 95% CI: 0.4-0.58) and frailty (OR=0.77; 95% CI: 0.67-0.9). Obese older people presented a higher risk of pre-frailty only (OR=1.29; 95% CI: 1.09-1.51). Older people with high WC showed a greater proportion of frailty regardless of the BMI range.

CONCLUSION

Undernutrition is associated with pre-frailty and frailty in Brazilian elderly subjects, whereas obesity is associated only with pre-frailty. Overweight seems to have a protective effect against the syndrome. The excess of abdominal fat is associated with both profiles independent of the BMI.

Frailty prevalence and associated factors in the Mexican health and aging study: A comparison of the frailty index and the phenotype

BACKGROUND

Frailty is a relatively new phenomenon described mainly in the older population. There are a number of different tools that aim at categorizing an older adult as frail. Two of the main tools for this purpose are the Fried's frailty phenotype (FFP) and the frailty index (FI). The aim of this report is to determine the prevalence of frailty and associated factors using both FFP and the FI.

METHODS

Secondary analysis of 1108 individuals aged 60 or older is participating in the third (2012) wave from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS). The FFP and the FI were constructed and a set of variables from different domains were used to explore associations. Domains included were: socio-demographic, health-related, and psychological factors. Regarding prevalence, concordance was tested with a kappa statistic. To test significant associations when classifying with each of the tools, multiple logistic regression models were fitted.

RESULTS

Mean (SD) age was 69.8 (7.6) years, and 54.6% (n=606) were women. The prevalence of frailty with FFP was 24.9% (n=276) while with FI 27.5% (n=305). Kappa statistics for concordance between tools was 0.34 (p<0.001). Age, years in school, number of past days in bed due to health problems, number of times that consulted a physician last year for health problems, having smoked in the past, and life satisfaction were associated with frailty when using any of the tools.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a persistent heterogeneity on how frailty is measured that should be addressed in future research.

An evaluation of the 30-s chair stand test in older adults: frailty detection based on kinematic parameters from a single inertial unit

BACKGROUND

A growing interest in frailty syndrome exists because it is regarded as a major predictor of co-morbidities and mortality in older populations. Nevertheless, frailty assessment has been controversial, particularly when identifying this syndrome in a community setting. Performance tests such as the 30-second chair stand test (30-s CST) are a cornerstone for detecting early declines in functional independence. Additionally, recent advances in body-fixed sensors have enhanced the sensors' ability to automatically and accurately evaluate kinematic parameters related to a specific movement performance. The purpose of this study is to use this new technology to obtain kinematic parameters that can identify frailty in an aged population through the performance the 30-s CST.

METHODS

Eighteen adults with a mean age of 54 years, as well as sixteen pre-frail and thirteen frail patients with mean ages of 78 and 85 years, respectively, performed the 30-s CST while their trunk movements were measured by a sensor-unit at vertebra L3. Sit-stand-sit cycles were determined using both acceleration and orientation information to detect failed attempts. Movement-related phases (i.e. impulse, stand-up, and sit-down) were differentiated based on seat off and seat on events. Finally, the kinematic parameters of the impulse, stand-up and sit-down phases were obtained to identify potential differences across the three frailty groups.

RESULTS

For the stand-up and sit-down phases, velocity peaks and "modified impulse" parameters clearly differentiated subjects with different frailty levels (p < 0.001). The trunk orientation range during the impulse phase was also able to classify a subject according to his frail syndrome (p < 0.001). Furthermore, these parameters derived from the inertial units (IUs) are sensitive enough to detect frailty differences not registered by the number of completed cycles which is the standard test outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that IUs can enhance the information gained from tests currently used in clinical practice, such as the 30-s CST. Parameters such as velocity peaks, impulse, and orientation range are able to differentiate between adults and older populations with different frailty levels. This study indicates that early frailty detection could be possible in clinical environments, and the subsequent interventions to correct these disabilities could be prescribed before further degradation occurs.

Frailty prevalence and slow walking speed in persons age 65 and older: implications for primary care

Background

Frailty in the elderly increases their vulnerability and leads to a greater risk of adverse events. According to various studies, the prevalence of the frailty syndrome in persons age 65 and over ranges between 3% and 37%, depending on age and sex. Walking speed in itself is considered a simple indicator of health status and of survival in older persons. Detecting frailty in primary care consultations can help improve care of the elderly, and walking speed may be an indicator that could facilitate the early diagnosis of frailty in primary care. The objective of this work was to estimate frailty-syndrome prevalence and walking speed in an urban population aged 65 years and over, and to analyze the relationship between the two indicators from the perspective of early diagnosis of frailty in the primary care setting.

Methods

Population cohort of persons age 65 and over from two urban neighborhoods in northern Madrid (Spain). Cross-sectional analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analysis with binary logistic regression to study the variables associated with frailty. Different cut-off points between 0.4 and 1.4 m/s were used to study walking speed in this population. The relationship between frailty and walking speed was analyzed using likelihood ratios.

Results

The study sample comprised 1,327 individuals age 65 and older with mean age 75.41 ± 7.41 years; 53.4% were women. Estimated frailty in the study population was 10.5% [95% CI: 8.9-12.3]. Frailty increased with age (OR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.10-1.19) and was associated with poor self-rated health (OR = 2.52; 95% CI: 1.43-4.44), number of drugs prescribed (OR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.08-1.26) and disability (OR = 6.58; 95% CI: 3.92-11.05). Walking speed less than 0.8 m/s was found in 42.6% of cases and in 56.4% of persons age 75 and over. Walking speed greater than 0.9 m/s ruled out frailty in the study sample. Persons age 75 and older with walking speed <0.8 m/s are at particularly high risk of frailty (32.1%).

Conclusions

Frailty-syndrome prevalence is high in persons aged 75 and over. Detection of walking speed <0.8 m/s is a simple approach to the diagnosis of frailty in the primary care setting.