Sarcopenia, frailty, cognitive impairment and mortality in elderly patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation

Association between cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive impairment in adults aged 60 years or older from Chile: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Few studies in Latin America have examined the association between cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive impairment (CI) in a nationally representative sample. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of CI in a nationally representative sample of adults aged 60 years or older from Chile and to investigate the association between cardiovascular risk factors and CI.

METHODS

Data from the cross-sectional 2016-2017 National Health Survey of Chile, which included 2031 adults (63.7% women) was used. Body mass index, metabolic syndrome (blood pressure, triglycerides, fasting glucose or treatment for diabetics, waist circumference, and HDL cholesterol), risk of cardiovascular disease (history and measured variables, using the Framingham risk score), tobacco use, and physical activity were measured. CI was assessed using the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE).

RESULTS

Overall, the prevalence of CI was 12.2% at the national level. Significant differences in CI were observed by age, education level, risk of cardiovascular disease, and smoking. High risk of cardiovascular disease was associated with higher odds of CI (OR: 2.04; 95%CI: 1.20-3.45) compared to low risk. Smoking was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of CI (OR: 0.56; 95%CI: 0.36-0.87) compared to never smoking. Body mass index, metabolic syndrome, and physical activity were not associated with CI.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided additional support for previous findings on the relationship between cognitive decline and an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease. Worse CI was associated with the group with the highest risk of cardiovascular disease, and the presence of lifestyle factors, such as obesity and physical inactivity, exacerbate this relationship, but not being a current smoker.

Frailty and oral anticoagulant prescription in adults with atrial fibrillation: A systematic review

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of frailty in the context of atrial fibrillation (AF); to identify the most commonly used frailty instruments in AF; and to describe the effect of frailty on non-vitamin K oral anticoagulant (NOAC) prescription for stroke prevention in adults with AF.

Methods

A systematic search of databases, including Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and CINAHL, was conducted using search terms including "atrial fibrillation," "frailty," and "anticoagulation." A narrative synthesis was undertaken.

Results

A total of 92 articles were screened, and 12 articles were included. The mean age of the participants (n = 212,111) was 82 years (range = 77-85 years) with 56% of participants identified as frail and 44% identified non-frail. A total of five different frailty instruments were identified: the Frailty Phenotype (FP; n = 5, 42%), the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS; n = 4, 33%), Cumulative Deficit Model of Frailty (CDM; n = 1, 8%), Edmonton Frail Scale (n = 1, 8%) and the Resident Assessment Instrument - Minimum Data Set (RAI-MDS 2.0; n = 1, 8%). Frailty was identified as an important barrier to anticoagulant therapy with 52% of the frail population anticoagulated vs 67% non-frail.

Conclusion

Frailty is an important consideration in anticoagulation decision making for stroke prevention in patients with AF. There is scope to improve frailty screening and treatment. Frailty status is an important risk marker and should be considered when evaluating stroke risk alongside congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥75 years, diabetes mellitus, prior stroke, transient ischemic attack, or thromboembolism, vascular disease, age 65-74 years, sex category (CHA2DS2-VASc) and Hypertension, Abnormal renal/liver function, Stroke, Bleeding, Labile, Elderly, and Drugs (HAS-BLED) scores.

Studying the relationship between cognitive impairment and frailty phenotype: a cross-sectional analysis of the Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) program

BACKGROUND

Some pathophysiological effects of physical frailty and cognitive impairment might be similar; therefore, finding the associations in epidemiologic studies could guide clinicians and researchers to recognize effective strategies for each type of frailty such as frailty phenotype and frailty index, which in turn will result in a preventive approach. The study aimed to reveal which components of frailty phenotype are more associated with cognitive impairment. The findings of this study may help other researchers clarify the related pathways.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional analysis of the results of the second phase of Bushehr Elderly Health Program; a community-based elderly prospective cohort study conducted in 2015-2016. The participants were selected through a multistage stratified cluster random sampling method. Frailty was assessed based on the Fried frailty phenotype criteria. Cognitive impairment was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Mini-Cog, and the Category Fluency Test (CFT). Multiple logistic regression models were applied to determine the association between frailty and cognitive impairment. Depression trait was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Activities of daily living were assessed using the Barthel Index and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) using Lawton's IADL.

RESULTS

The studyp conducted among people ≥ 60 years old (N = 2336) with women consisting 51.44% of the sample group. The mean age of the participants was 69.26 years old. The prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty were 42.59% and 7.66%, respectively. In the fully adjusted model, the odds ratio of the association between pre-frailty and frailty with cognitive impairment was 1.239, 95% CI: 1.011 - 1.519 and 1.765, 95% CI: 1.071 - 2.908, respectively (adjusted for age, sex, education, body mass index, smoking, diabetes mellitus, PHQ- 9, Barthel Index, and IADLs). In the fully adjusted multiple logistic regression models, all of the components of Fried frailty phenotype were significantly related to cognitive impairment except weight loss.

CONCLUSION

Cognitive impairment may be associated with frailty phenotype. Moreover, low strength and function of muscles had a stronger association with cognitive impairment. It seems that a consideration of cognitive impairment assessment in older people along with frailty and vice versa in clinical settings is reasonable.

Anticoagulant Therapy for Frail Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) increases with age, as does the proportion of patients with frailty. AF patients with frailty have a higher risk of stroke than those without frailty, and progressive frailty caused by stroke is also associated with a worse prognosis. Despite this, anticoagulant therapy tends to not be used in frail patients because of the risk of falls and bleeding complications. However, some studies have shown that anticoagulant therapy improves the prognosis in patients with frailty. An accurate assessment of the "net-clinical-benefits" is needed in patients with frailty, with the aim of improving the prognoses of patients with frailty by selecting those who will benefit from anticoagulant therapy and actively reducing the risk of bleeding. A comprehensive intervention that includes a team of doctors and social resources is required. We herein review the effectiveness and bleeding risk associated with anticoagulant therapy in frail patients investigated in clinical studies.