Prevalence and risk factors of frailty phenotype among vulnerable solitary elderly individuals

Prevalence of social frailty and its associated factors in the older Chinese population: a national cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Social frailty has not been comprehensively studied in China. Our objective is to investigate the prevalence of social frailty among the older population in China, as well as identify relevant factors and urban-rural differences.

METHODS

We obtained data from the Fourth Sample Survey of the Aged Population in Urban and Rural China (SSAPUR) database. The study employed a multistage, stratified, cluster-sampling method, recruiting a total of 224,142 adults aged 60 years or older. Participants were interviewed to gather demographic data and information on family, health and medical conditions, health care service status, living environment conditions, social participation, protected rights status, spiritual and cultural life, and health. Social frailty was assessed using the HALFE Social Frailty Index. A score of three or above indicated social frailty.

RESULTS

We analyzed a total of 222,179 cases, and the overall prevalence of social frailty was found to be 15.2%. The highest prevalence was observed among participants aged 75-79 years (18.0%). The prevalence of social frailty was higher in rural older populations compared to urban older populations (19.9% in rural vs. 10.9% in urban, P < 0.0001). In urban areas, women had a higher prevalence than men (11.7% in women vs. 9.9% in men, P < 0.0001), while in rural areas, men had a higher prevalence than women (20.6% in men vs. 19.2% in women, P < 0.0001). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that living in a rural/urban environment (OR 1.789, 95% CI 1.742-1.837), absence of a spouse/spousal presence (OR 4.874, 95% CI 4.743-5.009), self-assessed unhealthy/health status (OR 1.696, 95% CI 1.633-1.761), and housing dissatisfaction/satisfaction (OR 2.303, 95% CI 2.233-2.376) were all significantly associated with social frailty.

CONCLUSIONS

Using the HALFE social frailty index, we found a prevalence of 15.2% among older people in China, with the highest prevalence observed in the 75-79 age group. Social frailty was more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas. Various factors, including spousal presence, housing satisfaction, health status, and urban-rural residential differences, were significantly associated with social frailty. These findings highlight the modifiable and non-modifiable factors that contribute to social frailty among older individuals in China.

Analysis of the status of social frailty in Chinese older adults with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases: a national cross-sectional study

Background

Social frailty is one type of frailty. Physical frailty with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (CCVD) have been studied a lot, but less research on social frailty.

Objectives

To study the prevalence, related risk factors and regional differences of social frailty with CCVD in Chinese older adults.

Methods

SSAPUR was a national cross-sectional survey. Participants aged 60 years or older were recruited in August 2015. Demographic data and information regarding family, health and medical conditions, living environment conditions, social participation, spiritual and cultural life, and health condition were obtained. Social frailty was assessed in five areas (HALFE Social Frailty Index) including inability to help others, limited social participation, loneliness, financial difficulty, and living alone. The prevalence of CCVD with social frailty, related risk factors and regional differences in CCVD with social frailty were studied.

Results

A total of 222,179 participants were enrolled. 28.4% of them had CCVD history. The prevalence of social frailty in the CCVD group was 16.03%. In CCVD participants, compared with the group without social frailty, there were significant differences in gender, age, urban-rural distribution, ethnicity, marital status, and education levels in the social frailty group. Significant differences were also found in physical exercise participation, health status, cataract, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hospitalization within 1 year, self-assessed health status, crutch or wheelchair usage, urinary and fecal incontinence, need for care from others, fall history, housing satisfaction, and self-assessed happiness in the social frailty group. Women with CCVD had a higher prevalence of social frailty than men. By age in CCVD with social frailty, the highest prevalence was found in participants 75-79 years old. The prevalence of CCVD was significant difference between social frailty in urban and rural group. The prevalence of social frailty with CCVD was significantly different in different regions. The highest prevalence was 20.4% in southwest area, and the lowest prevalence was 12.5% in northeast with area.

Conclusion

The prevalence of social frailty among the CCVD older adults is high. Factors such as gender, age, region, urban-rural residence, and the state of the disease may be associated with social frailty.

Evaluation of pro-inflammatory cytokines in frail Tunisian older adults

The present study was undertaken to evaluate serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in Tunisian older adults and to examine the relationships between inflammatory marker levels, geriatric, and biochemical parameters. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of Tunisian older adults (N = 141, aged 65 and over). Patients were recruited from the Department of Internal Medicine, Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital (Monastir, Tunisia) and from a nursing home (Sousse, Tunisia). Comprehensive geriatric assessment, history taking and examination including functional and nutritional assessment were done for each participant. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test was used to measure serum cytokine (TNF-α, IL-8, IL-6) levels. The modified Short Emergency Geriatric Assessment score (SEGAm) were used to classify patients as 51 very-frail, 40 frail, and 50 non-frail. The age of the participants (80 men, 61 women) ranged from 65 to 97 years. Serum levels of TNF-α, IL-8 and C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly higher in very-frail participants compared to frail and non-frail ones. However, no significant differences in IL-6 levels were detected among frailty groups. After adjustment for age, CRP and IL-8 levels remained significantly associated with frailty. Analysis of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve corresponding to IL-8 showed an area under the curve of 0.7 (p = 0.003; 95% CI [0.58-0.81]) and a predictive threshold of 5.27 pg/ml. Positive correlations were found between frailty score, IL-6, and IL-8 levels. In addition, a significant positive correlation was observed between IL-8 levels and Timed Up and Go test results. However, a negative correlation was observed between Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form score, IL-6 and CRP levels, as well as between Activities of Daily Living score and serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and CRP. In conclusion, the key findings of this study collectively support a role of pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, CRP, and especially IL-8 in the development of frailty in older adults.

Pre-frailty, frailty and associated factors in older caregivers of older adults

INTRODUCTION

Providing care to an older adult is an activity that requires considerable physical effort and can cause stress and psychological strain, which accentuate factors that trigger the cycle of frailty, especially when the caregiver is also an older adult. However, few studies have analyzed the frailty process in older caregivers.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the prevalence of pre-frailty, frailty and associated factors in older caregivers of older adults.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted including 328 community-dwelling older caregivers. Frailty was identified using frailty phenotype. Socio-demographic, behavioral and clinical aspects, characteristics related to care and functioning were covariables in the multinomial logistic regression.

RESULTS

The prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty were 58.8% and 21.1%, respectively. An increased age, female sex, not having a conjugal life, depressive symptoms and pain were commonly associated with pre-frailty and frailty. Sedentary lifestyle was exclusively associated with pre-frailty, whereas living in an urban area, low income and the cognitive decline were associated with frailty. A better performance on instrumental activities of daily living reduced the chance of frailty.

CONCLUSION

Many factors associated with the frailty syndrome may be related to the act of providing care, which emphasizes the importance of the development of coping strategies for this population.

Association Between Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness and Combinations of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Pre-Frailty in Older Adults

Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) has been proposed as a surrogate marker of cardiovascular disease. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and pre-frailty are reportedly associated with increased CIMT. As the evidence on the association of CIMT with combinations of MCI and pre-frailty is limited, this association is examined. A total of 231 older adults participated. MCI was defined according to clinical consensus or psychometric criteria by a dementia specialist, and considering detailed neuropsychological assessments. Also, pre-frailty was defined as subjects with frail component of 1 or 2. Carotid variables were measured using a B-mode ultrasound. The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed to assess independent differences in CIMT among the four groups, according to the cognitive function and frailty status after a multivariate adjustment. Increased CIMT is associated with combinations of MCI and pre-frailty. ANCOVA showed that CIMTs were significantly different among the four groups according to the cognitive function and frailty status. CIMTmax combined with MCI and pre-frailty was the thickest (1.04 ± 0.3 mm), whereas the CIMT of no MCI and no pre-frailty was the thinnest (0.82 ± 0.2 mm). The results suggest that combinations of MCI and pre-frailty are associated with increased CIMT in older adults.

Frailty and cognitive performance of elderly in the context of social vulnerability

Elderly who live in the context of social vulnerability have lower education and socioeconomic status.

Objective

To analyze cognitive performance as a factor associated with frailty status in elderly living in contexts of social vulnerability.

Methods

An exploratory, comparative, cross-sectional study using a quantitative method was conducted with elderly people registered at Social Assistance Reference Centers. A semi-structured interview, the Edmonton Frail Scale and Montreal Cognitive Assessment were applied. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee. To analyze the data, a logistic regression was performed considering two groups (frail and non-frail).

Results

247 elderly individuals participated in the study, with a mean age of 68.52 (±SD =7.28) years and education of 1-4 years (n=133). All the elderly evaluated resided in vulnerable regions. Regarding frailty, 91 (36.8%) showed frailty at some level (mild, moderate or severe) and 216 (87.4%) had cognitive impairment. On the regression analysis, frailty was associated with number of diseases (OR:1.60; 95%CI: 1.28-1.99) and cognition (OR:0.93; 95%CI: 0.89-0.98).

Conclusion

Identifying level of frailty and cognition in socially vulnerable elderly reinforces the need for early detection in both these conditions by the public services that provide care for this population with a focus on prevention.