The prevalence of frailty among community-dwelling older adults with diabetes: A meta-analysis

Bidirectional relationship between diabetes and frailty in middle-aged and older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Diabetes and frailty are prevalent and burdensome in middle-aged and older adults. However, current evidence on their association is inconsistent, and no quantitative meta-analysis exists. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine whether diabetes increased the risk of frailty and vice versa.

METHODS

We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and CINAHL databases from inception to 10 April 2025. Random-effects models were used to calculate pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) for cross-sectional analysis and pooled relative risk (RR) for longitudinal analysis. The certainty of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework.

RESULTS

From 8559 non-duplicated records, 31 articles were included. People with diabetes had increased risks of prevalent frailty (OR=2.21, 95 %CI: 1.60-3.06, I2=99.0 %, n = 15; GRADE=Low), prevalent pre-frailty (OR=2.23, 95 %CI: 2.19-2.28, I2=0.0 %, n = 2; GRADE=Very low), and incident frailty (RR=1.50, 95 %CI: 1.36-1.65, I2=0.0 %, n = 7; GRADE=Moderate). Those with pre-frailty (OR=1.95, 95 %CI: 1.61-2.36, I2=0.0 %; GRADE=Very low) but not with frailty (OR=2.28, 95 %CI:0.96-5.46, I2=92.3 %; GRADE=Very low) had increased odds of prevalent diabetes in two studies. In 15 studies, the pooled RRs for incident diabetes were 1.47 (95 %CI: 1.37-1.57, I2=91.0 %; GRADE=Moderate) in pre-frail participants and 1.96 (95 %CI: 1.73-2.23, I2=92.7 %; GRADE=Moderate) in frail participants.

CONCLUSION

Our findings support the bidirectional relationship between diabetes and frailty in middle-aged and older adults, with each condition contributing to the development of the other. This highlights the importance of early detection and integrated management strategies for diabetes and frailty.

The Impact of frailty on the effectiveness of intensive blood pressure control for patients with type 2 diabetes: a secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Frailty is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events. It is uncertain whether frailty modifies the efficacy of intensive blood pressure (BP) control among participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).

METHODS

The Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Blood Pressure (ACCORD BP) trial, a two-by-two factorial trial, examined the effects of systolic BP (<120 vs <140 mm Hg) and glycaemic control on cardiovascular events in T2DM. We constructed a frailty index using the Rockwood cumulative deficit approach. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the effectiveness of intensive BP treatment according to frailty status. The primary composite outcome was non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke or death from cardiovascular causes.

RESULTS

There were 4733 participants (mean age: 62.7 years; 39.9% frailty). The mean average number of antihypertensive medications was higher in frail patients compared with non-frail patients in both the standard (2.2 vs 1.7) and intensive (3.1 vs 2.7) treatment groups. In the standard glycaemic arm, intensive BP treatment reduced the risk of the primary outcome (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.97) regardless of frailty status (p value for interaction=0.86). The benefits of intensive BP intervention were consistent across the spectrum of the frailty index (p value for interaction=0.96) in the standard glycaemic arm. However, no benefits of intensive BP treatment (HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.43) were observed in the intensive glycaemic arm.

CONCLUSIONS

In the ACCORD BP study, the benefit of intensive BP treatment was consistent regardless of frailty in the setting of standard glycaemic control. Frailty should not be a barrier to intensive BP control in patients with T2DM treated with guideline-recommended standard glycaemic control.

Relationship between glycaemic control and frailty in older Chinese patients: The mediating role of diabetes distress

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the effects of glycaemic control and diabetes distress on frailty in older Chinese patients with diabetes, and to explore the mediating role of diabetes distress between glycaemic control and frailty.

DESIGN

This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. A total of 209 older patients with diabetes were recruited from a teaching hospital in Zhejiang Province. Data were collected from February to September 2022.

METHODS

A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect demographic and disease-related data. The Fried Scale and Diabetes Distress Scale were employed to assess frailty and diabetes distress, respectively The bootstrap method was used to examine the mediating effects of diabetes distress on glycaemic control and frailty. The STROBE checklist was adhered to in the reporting of this study (see details in File S1).

RESULTS

The findings indicated a positive correlation between the level of glycaemic control and frailty, as well as between diabetes distress and frailty. Furthermore, diabetes distress was found to play a complete mediating role between glycaemic control and frailty.

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings highlight the relationship between glycaemic control, diabetes distress and frailty offering a valuable reference for enhancing the management of frailty in older patients with diabetes.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

This study emphasizes the significance of managing glycaemic control and diabetes distress in older patients with diabetes to prevent frailty, and may contribute for healthcare professionals to developing effective measures to improve the frailty of older diabetic patients in clinical settings.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

This study was conducted with the participation of older patients with diabetes who contributed data by completing study questionnaires and undergoing physical assessments.

Association of frailty and pre-frailty with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in diabetes: Three prospective cohorts and a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association of frailty status with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in individuals with diabetes.

METHODS

Data was sourced from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988-1994), NHANES (1999-2006), and the UK Biobank. Frailty status was assessed using the Fried phenotype and classified as non-frailty, pre-frailty, and frailty. We further performed a meta-analysis involving 19 prospective cohort studies (753,480 patients) to summarize the existing evidence.

RESULTS

We included 31,225 diabetes patients from NHANES III (mean age 63.3 ± 0.8, 56.4 % female), NHANES 1999-2006 (mean age 61.6 ± 0.4, 49.7 % female), and the UK Biobank (mean age 59.6 ± 7.2, 39.5 % female). The prevalence of frailty was 9.9 %, 10.7 %, and 12.1 % across respective cohorts. During a follow-up period exceeding 13 years, we observed consistent results that frailty and pre-frailty were significantly associated with increased risks of all-cause and CVD mortality in diabetes. Notably, of the five domains used to assess frailty phenotypes, low gait speed showed the strongest association with all-cause and CVD mortality risks. Meta-analysis showed that, compared to non-frailty, frailty in patients with diabetes was associated with a 1.8-fold higher risk of all-cause mortality and a 2.0-fold higher risk of CVD mortality. Similarly, pre-frailty was associated with a 1.3-fold higher risk of all-cause mortality and a 1.4-fold higher risk of CVD mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

This study established a strong association between frailty, pre-frailty, and increased all-cause and CVD-related mortality in diabetes. Integrating frailty assessment into routine practice to identify frail and pre-frail status early on is recommended, followed by the implementation of targeted healthy lifestyle interventions to mitigate adverse outcomes.

Association of iodized salt intake with the risk of physical frailty in patients with type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to investigate the association of the status of iodized salt in terms of consumption of salt type and urinary iodine concentration (UIC) in diabetes, with frailty and examine whether this association could be modified by thyroid function.

DESIGN

A population-based cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

We included 850 patients with type 2 diabetes from 11 communities in Shanghai, who completed five-year follow-up.

MEASUREMENTS

The type of salt consumed was collected through a standardized questionnaire and UIC was measured by an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer. Frailty was assessed by frailty phenotype. Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) were measured by electrochemiluminescence. Modified Poisson regression model with robust variance was used to estimate the relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for frailty in relation to iodized salt consumption and UIC.

RESULTS

In this five-year follow-up study in patients with diabetes, 111 (12.9%) patients progressed to frailty. Patients who consumed non-iodized salt (RR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01-1.18) had an increased risk of frailty, compared to patients who consumed iodized salt. Lower UIC was associated with a higher risk of frailty (1.10, 1.01-1.19). In patients with high TSH and low FT4, the RRs of frailty were 1.20 (1.08-1.34) and 1.15 (1.02-1.29) for non-iodized salt, and 1.14 (1.02-1.28) and 1.12 (0.99-1.27) for low UIC.

CONCLUSIONS

Non-iodized salt consumed and low UIC were associated with an increased risk of frailty in diabetes, particularly in those with high TSH and low FT4. Maintaining adequate iodine intake is critically important for preventing frailty in diabetes, especially for individuals with potential thyroid dysfunction.

Frailty incidence by diabetes treatment regimens in older adults with diabetes mellitus in the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly Study

Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for frailty in older adults, and studies suggest that frailty risk may differ by diabetes treatment regimen. To investigate the association between diabetes medication use and frailty, we conducted an observational cohort analysis of older adults with diabetes enrolled in the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study. Diabetes at baseline (N = 2045) was defined as self-reported diabetes, fasting blood glucose levels > 125 mg/dL, or use of diabetes medication. Diabetes medication exposure at baseline was categorized as use of metformin only (monotherapy) (N = 545), metformin combined with other diabetes medications (N = 420), other diabetes medications only (N = 200), or no diabetes medications (N = 880). Frailty was defined using a modified Fried frailty phenotype (presence of ≥ 3 of 5 criteria) and a deficit accumulation frailty index (FI, score > 0.21/1.00). Mixed effects ordinal logistic regression models revealed the odds of frailty at baseline were highest for the other diabetes medications only group, but this difference remained consistent over follow-up. After adjustment for covariates, including baseline pre-frailty, no differences in the rates of Fried or FI frailty were observed among the diabetes medication exposure groups. These findings suggest that diabetes medication exposure in older adults with diabetes does not directly impact frailty risk.

The current state and development trends of frailty research in diabetic patients: a bibliometric analysis

Background

Diabetes mellitus is a global public health issue, often leading to organ damage, complications, and disabilities. Frailty is an age-related syndrome characterized by reduced physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to stressors, significantly affecting the prognosis of older diabetic patients. The prevalence of frailty is notably higher in older adults with diabetes than in those without. Therefore, a bibliometric analysis of research on diabetes-related frailty can provide deeper insights into the current state of this field and inform future research directions.

Methods

This study retrieved English-language publications on diabetes-related frailty from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOS) database, covering the period from 2005 to 2023. A total of 403 articles were included in the analysis. Statistical analysis and data visualization were conducted using Microsoft Excel, R Studio, VOS viewer, and Cite Space 6.3.R1. The analysis emphasized journals, authors, keywords, country collaborations, institutional collaborations, and references to elucidate trends and knowledge structures within the field of diabetes-related frailty research.

Results

The number of publications on diabetes-related frailty has been steadily increasing each year, with research predominantly focused in developed countries, particularly the United States and Europe. The University of London has emerged as the institution with the highest volume of publications, while Alan J. Sinclair has been recognized as a significant contributor to this field. Key research hotspots include the complications associated with diabetes-related frailty, epidemiology, and quality of life. Additionally, a timeline analysis of references suggests that diabetic nephropathy is currently at the forefront of research in this area.

Conclusion

This comprehensive bibliometric analysis of diabetes-related frailty research underscores the necessity for improved international collaboration to further investigate the mechanisms underlying diabetes-related frailty and to devise more effective prevention and treatment strategies. Future research should emphasize the relationship between diabetic nephropathy and frailty, as well as the development of personalized intervention programs tailored for frail diabetic patients.

Physical frailty, genetic predisposition, and type 2 diabetes mellitus

AIM

To examine the association between frailty and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), considering the joint effect of multimorbidity and genetic risk.

METHODS

The study included 429,022 individuals in the UK Biobank. We used Cox regression with hazard ratio (HR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) to 1) evaluate the associations of frailty with incident T2DM, 2) explore whether frailty and multimorbidity would have a joint effect, and 3) assess whether the associations were modified by genetic risk.

RESULTS

Compared with non-frail individuals, prefrail and frail individuals were at higher risk of T2DM: HR[95 %CI] = 1.42 [1.38;1.47] for prefrailty and 1.81[1.70;1.92] for frailty. Five frailty components were associated with increased risk of T2DM: HR[95 %CI] = 1.21[1.17;1.26] for weight loss, 1.35[1.30;1.40] for exhaustion, 1.31[1.26;1.37] for low physical activity, 1.27[1.20;1.33] for low grip strength, and 1.47[1.41;1.52] for slow gait speed. The increased risks were more pronounced among frail individuals with more than three morbidities: HR[95 %CI] = 4.10[3.76;4.46]. Frail individuals at high genetic risk had a four and a half-fold greater risk of T2DM compared with non-frail individuals at low genetic risk: HR[95 %CI] = 4.54[4.14;4.97].

CONCLUSION

Frailty was associated with increased risk of T2DM, especially in individuals with higher number of morbidities and high genetic risk. Frailty may be an independent risk factor for T2DM and targeted strategies to prevent and manage frailty would contribute to reducing the risk of T2DM.

Geriatric Syndromes in Older Adults With and Without Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PURPOSE

Diabetes prevalence is increasing among older adults globally. The current study aimed to compare geriatric syndrome prevalence in older adults with and without diabetes.

METHOD

Primary research (2011 to 2024) in English, French, or Spanish was included. We used multiple databases following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Pooled log odds ratios (ORs) and prevalence rates were calculated using random-effects models. Sensitivity analysis explored heterogeneity, and publication bias was assessed.

RESULTS

Older adults with diabetes exhibited higher prevalence rates of cognitive impairment (9.13% vs. 4.22%, log OR: 0.1884), depression (8.96% vs. 5.44%, log OR: 0.3543), falls (11.5% vs. 4.47%, log OR: 0.4237), functional impairment (14.2% vs. 10.6%, log OR: 1.02), urinary incontinence (9.72% vs. 4.35%, log OR: 1.3668), frailty (22.8% vs. 12.1%, log OR: 1.3443), and polypharmacy (22.9% vs. 5.78%, log OR: 2.5420). Diabetes was also associated with a higher comorbidity burden.

CONCLUSION

Multidisciplinary strategies addressing diabetes and associated conditions are crucial for older adults with diabetes. Future research should delve into underlying mechanisms and optimize care strategies. [Research in Gerontological Nursing, 18(2), 99-108.].

Prevalence of frailty in senile osteoporosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The growing aging population has resulted in a rise in the prevalence of frailty among senile osteoporosis (SOP) patients, with frailty predisposing SOP patients to a higher risk of adverse health outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of frailty in SOP patients through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

A comprehensive search was performed in nine databases (Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, SinoMed, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang) to identify relevant articles from inception to June 2023. Two investigators independently conducted literature screening and data extraction and evaluated the risk of bias using the cross-sectional study quality assessment scale recommended by the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ) and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The meta-analysis was performed using Stata 15.1 software. Lastly, meta-regression, subgroup analysis, and sensitivity analysis were carried out to explore sources of heterogeneity.

RESULTS

Eighteen studies involving 9,664 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The results revealed that the prevalence of frailty in SOP patients was 37.8% [95% CI (25.2%, 50.4%)]. Additionally, subgroup analyses indicated a prevalence of frailty of 47.4% [95% CI (23.7%, 71.1%)] in SOP patients aged 60-74 years and 33.3% [95% CI (17.7%, 48.8%)] in those aged ≥75 years. The prevalence rates of frailty in female and male SOP patients were 27.7% [95% CI (6.4%, 48.9%)] and 12.3% [95% CI (0.8%, 23.9%)], respectively. Meanwhile, the prevalence of frailty in SOP patients in developed and developing countries was 23.2% [95% CI (7%, 39.5%)] and 42.3% [95% CI (27.8%, 56.8%)], respectively. The prevalence of frailty in SOP patients, as measured by the Fried Frailty Phenotype Scale (FP), the J-CHS criteria, and the Frailty Assessment (FRAIL) scale, was 26.3% [95% CI (10.6%, 41.9%)], 38.1% [95% CI (31.5%, 44.6%)], and 47.2% [95% CI (31.0%, 63.5%)], respectively. Finally, the prevalence of frailty in SOP patients surveyed in 2005-2015 and 2016-2020 was 22.9% [95% CI (9.5%, 36.2%)] and 47.4% [95% CI (33.2%, 61.6%)], respectively. Meta-regression did not identify significant sources of heterogeneity.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of frailty in SOP patients is high, especially in female patients, in developing countries, post-2015, and using the FRAIL scale assessments. Healthcare professionals are recommended to employ assessment tools with high reliability and validity to improve screening for frailty in SOP patients and implement timely interventions to prevent frailty in SOP patients.

Global prevalence and risk factors of fatigue and post-infectious fatigue among patients with dengue: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Fatigue during the acute phase of dengue infection can persist as post-infectious fatigue (PIF), potentially impacting quality of life. We aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of fatigue and PIF among dengue patients.

Methods

This systematic review and meta-analysis was registered in the PROSPERO (CRD42024543058). We searched PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, and CINAHL from their inception to June 22, 2024. Observational studies reporting the prevalence of fatigue or PIF among dengue patients were included. We excluded case studies, review articles, conference abstracts, protocols, duplicate publications, and studies without full text. Quality assessment was performed using Hoy's risk of bias tool. Data were analyzed using R software version 4.3.3. A random-effects model pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Risk factors were identified using odd ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs or p values. Heterogeneity, moderator analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias were also assessed.

Findings

From 715 identified studies, 40 were included for review. Of these, 37 studies were included in the meta-analysis for fatigue prevalence and nine studies for PIF prevalence, respectively involving 37,790 and 5045 dengue patients. The pooled prevalence of fatigue was 59.0% (95% CI 0.47-0.70), and that of PIF was 20.0% (95% CI 0.10-0.36), with significant heterogeneity but no significant moderators. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of this meta-analysis. Female sex (pooled OR = 1.65, 95% CI 1.27-2.14), dengue hemorrhagic fever (pooled OR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.02-3.16), and preexisting comorbidities (pooled OR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.36-3.38) were significant risk factors for PIF.

Interpretation

This meta-analysis highlights the high prevalence of fatigue and PIF among dengue patients, with several risk factors identified. Although the study has its limitations, these results can inform future studies to more standardized study designs, improved definitions, and systematic assessment methods for fatigue, PIF, and potential moderators. These are essential to better understand the mechanisms of fatigue in dengue patients and explore potential interventions.

Funding

None.

Association of frailty index with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality with different diabetic status: NHANES 1999-2018

AIMS

The relationship between frailty and mortality among individuals with varying diabetic statuses represents a burgeoning area of concern and scholarly interest within the medical community. However, there are limited studies that explore the relationship between frailty and mortality, as well as cause-specific mortality among individuals with non-diabetes, prediabetes, and diabetes patients. Hence, this study aims to investigate the relationship between the frailty statues and all-cause mortality, as well as cause-specific mortality in individuals with varying diabetic statuses using the data in the NHANES database.

METHODS

The study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2018, incorporating a final sample size of 57, 098 participants. Both univariable and multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analyses, as well as Cox regression analysis were employed to examine the relationship between frailty index (FI) and mortality.

RESULTS

This study, found a significant positive correlation between the frailty and the increased risk of all-cause mortality non-diabetic [OR 4.277, 95%CI (3.982, 4.594), P < 0.001], prediabetic [OR 2.312, 95%CI (2.133, 2.506), P < 0.001], and diabetic patients [OR 3.947, 95%CI (3.378, 4.611), P < 0.001]. This correlation still existed even after adjusting for confounding factors including age, sex, BMI, poverty, fasting insulin, education, smoke, alcohol drink, waist, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, fasting glucose, HbA1c, eGFR, creatinine and total bilirubin. Our result also suggested a significant positive correlation between the frailty index and the increased risk of CVD mortality among non-diabetic [OR 3.095, 95%CI (2.858, 3.352), P < 0.001] and prediabetic [OR 5.985, 95%CI (5.188, 6.904), P < 0.001] individuals. However, in patients with diabetes, the correlation between frailty and CVD mortality lost significance after adjusting for possible confounding factors [OR 1.139, 95%CI (0.794, 1.634), P > 0.05].

CONCLUSION

A nonlinear relationship has been identified between the FI and all-cause mortality, as well as CVD mortality in non-diabetic and pre-diabetic population. In diabetic patients, there was a significant positive correlation between the frailty and the increased risk of all-cause mortality, but not with CVD mortality. Renal function and liver function might potentially acted as an intermediary factor that elevated the risk of CVD mortality in frail patients with diabetes.

Associations Between Frailty and Risk of All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality in Patients with Prediabetes: A Population-Based Study

Objective

Diabetes is a well-known risk factor for frailty that has been associated with adverse prognosis. However, the association of frailty with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in patients with prediabetes has not been thoroughly explored.

Methods

Participants with prediabetes were derived from the 1999-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and followed up for all-cause and CVD mortality until December 31, 2019. A frailty index calculated using a 49-item deficit accumulation model > 0.21 was used to indicate the presence of frailty. Kaplan-Meier curves and weighted Cox proportional hazards regression were used to assess the association between frailty and mortality.

Results

The weighted prevalence of frailty was 28.21% in this cohort of 7845 prediabetic participants with a mean age of 62.89 years. During a median follow-up time of 90 months, a total of 1983 all-cause (636 CVD-related) deaths occurred. Each 0.01 score increase in the frailty index was associated with a 5% and 6% increased risk of all-cause and CVD-related mortality, respectively. The hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for all-cause and CVD mortality in the frailty group were 2.28 (1.89-2.76) and 2.84 (2.01-4.02), respectively, compared with those without frailty. Restricted cubic spline analysis showed a linear association between frailty index and all-cause or CVD mortality. Similar results were observed in the sensitivity analyses.

Conclusion

The frailty index was positively associated with all-cause and CVD mortality in participants with prediabetes, highlighting that appropriate screening and management of frailty may help reduce mortality in patients with prediabetes.

Association between cardiometabolic index and frailty among patients with diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study

Background

Cardiometabolic index (CMI) is a novel marker that can assess metabolic status. Studies have found that people with diabetes mellitus (DM) are at high risk of developing frailty. However, there is a lack of evidence between CMI and the risk of frailty in patients with DM. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between CMI and frailty in patients with DM.

Methods

This study utilized data from the 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Weighted multivariate logistic regression was conducted in this study to explore the association between CMI and frailty status in patients with DM. In addition, subgroup analyses and interaction analyses were conducted to assess heterogeneity between different subgroups. Subsequently, restricted cubic spline (RCS) was also used to test for non-linear relationships.

Results

This study ultimately included 2,761 patients with DM. Weighted multivariate logistic regression showed that, after adjusting all covariates, an increase in the level of CMI was associated with an increased risk of being in a frailty status in patients with DM (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.04-1.22, p = 0.005). Dividing CMI into tertiles, the risk of frailty in patients in the highest tertile (Q3) was higher than that of patients in Q1 (OR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.18-2.07, p = 0.002). The non-linear relationship between CMI and the risk of frailty in DM patients was further confirmed by RCS analysis.

Conclusion

This study found that the higher the CMI, the higher the risk of frailty in DM patients. Maintaining a healthy low-fat dietary pattern and properly controlling blood lipid levels may reduce the risk of frailty in patients with DM.

Frailty as a predictor of adverse outcomes in patients with gastric cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 75,357 patients

BACKGROUND

Frailty is the most problematic expression of population ageing, which has been associated with increased mortality and complications among patients with gastric cancer (GC). However, previous evidence about the frailty prevalence and outcomes in frail populations with gastric cancer remains unknown.

METHODS

Eligible studies were searched in Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science to explore the prevalence and impact of frailty in patients with gastric cancer from inception until November 25, 2023. The pooled prevalence of frailty, hazard ratio (HR), and odds ratio (OR) corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CI) in mortality and postoperative complications estimates were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 24 studies containing 75,357 GC patients were involved. The prevalence of frailty in gastric cancer was 27 % (95 % CI = 24-30; I2 = 96.7 %; p = 0.000). Frailty was independently associated with an increased hazard ratio for mortality (adjusted HR = 2.14; 95 % CI = 1.60-2.86; I2 = 67.3 %, p = 0.000). Furthermore, frailty was significantly associated with an increased odds ratio for postoperative complication in GC patients (adjusted OR = 2.65; 95 % CI = 2.17-3.25; I2 = 0.0 %, Cochran's Q = 1.20, p = 0.878).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of frailty in gastric cancer is common and has a significant adverse effect on GC patients' outcomes. Our findings highlight the importance of routine frailty assessment in GC patients, which may provide prognostic outcomes.

Management of older adults with diabetes mellitus: Perspective from geriatric medicine

Advances in diabetes medication and population aging are lengthening the lifespans of people with diabetes mellitus (DM). Older patients with diabetes mellitus often have multimorbidity and tend to have polypharmacy. In addition, diabetes mellitus is associated with frailty, functional decline, cognitive impairment, and geriatric syndrome. Although the numbers of patients with frailty, dementia, disability, and/or multimorbidity are increasing worldwide, the accumulated evidence on the safe and effective treatment of these populations remains insufficient. Older patients, especially those older than 75 years old, are often underrepresented in randomized controlled trials of various treatment effects, resulting in limited clinical evidence for this population. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the characteristics of older patients is essential to tailor management strategies to their needs. The clinical guidelines of several academic societies have begun to recognize the importance of relaxing glycemic control targets to prevent severe hypoglycemia and to maintain quality of life. However, glycemic control levels are thus far based on expert consensus rather than on robust clinical evidence. There is an urgent need for the personalized management of older adults with diabetes mellitus that considers their multimorbidity and function and strives to maintain a high quality of life through safe and effective medical treatment. Older adults with diabetes mellitus accompanied by frailty, functional decline, cognitive impairment, and multimorbidity require special management considerations and liaison with both carers and social resources.

Joint effects of physical frailty and traditional cardiovascular risk factor control on cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes

OBJECTIVES

Physical frailty has been found to increase the risk of multiple adverse outcomes including cardiovascular disease (CVD) in diabetic patients, but whether this could be modified by traditional risk factor control remains unknown. We aimed to explore the joint and interaction effects of frailty and traditional risk factor control on the risk of CVD.

DESIGN

A population-based cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

We included 15,753 participants with type 2 diabetes at baseline from UK Biobank.

MEASUREMENTS

Physical frailty was assessed by Fried criteria's frailty phenotype. The degree of risk factor control was determined by the numbers of the following factors controlled within the target range, including glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking, and kidney condition. Incident CVD included coronary heart disease, stroke, or heart failure. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the individual and joint effects of frailty and risk factor control on the risk of CVD.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 13.5 years, 1129 incident CVD events were observed. Compared with non-frailty, both prefrailty and frailty were significantly associated with increased risk of CVD (HR 1.22, 95% CI [1.13, 1.31] for pre-frailty and 1.70 [1.53, 1.90] for frailty). For the joint effects, participants with frailty and a low degree of risk factor control (control of 0-1 risk factors) had the highest risk of CVD (2.92 [2.04, 4.17]) compared to those with non-frailty and optimal risk factor control (control of 4-5 risk factors). Moreover, a significant additive interaction between frailty and risk factor control was observed, with around 3.8% of CVD risk attributed to the interactive effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Both prefrailty and frailty were associated with a higher risk of CVD in participants with type 2 diabetes. Moreover, physical frailty could interact with the degree of risk factor control in an additive manner to increase the CVD risk.

The prevalence of frailty among patients with metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Growing evidence shows that metabolic syndrome and frailty are significantly associated. Screening and assessing frailty in patients with metabolic syndrome is important to help improve their clinical outcomes and quality of life. Therefore, understanding the prevalence of frailty in patients with metabolic syndrome is the first critical step, however, the prevalence reported in the literature varies widely.

AIM

To pool the overall prevalence of frailty among patients with metabolic syndrome.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, APA PsycINFO, Scopus, CINAHL Complete, CNKI, Wan Fang, SinoMed, and VIP databases were searched from the inception to March 6, 2024. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA15 software. The prevalence was pooled using the random-effects model. The sources of heterogeneity were investigated by using meta-regression and subgroup analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 22 original studies published between 2007 and 2023 were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis, involving 19,921 metabolic syndrome patients. The prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty among patients with metabolic syndrome was 20% (95% CI: 16% to 25%, I2 = 99.44%) and 45% (95% CI: 36% to 53%, I2 = 99.20%). Subgroup analyses revealed differences in prevalence by frailty instruments, geographic regions, study settings, publication years, study quality, study design, and different components of metabolic syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review and meta-analysis showed the high prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty in patients with metabolic syndrome. In the future, more high-quality longitudinal studies and exploration of other potential demographic characteristics that may influence frailty are needed to understand more information on frailty in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Exercise interventions for frail older adults with diabetes: A scoping review

There is a paucity of evidence on exercise interventions for frail older adults with diabetes. This scoping review aims to identify the scope of the current literature on the characteristics and effects of exercise interventions for frail older adults with diabetes. A search without time limitation was conducted in eight databases. 14 studies were finally included. Resistance exercise and multicomponent exercise were the most common types of exercise. There was considerable variation in the frequency, duration and intensity of exercise interventions. Studies reported improvements in frailty status, physical function, blood glucose and lipid levels and economic effectiveness. The most frequent combined interventions involved nutrition and education. Although evidence was limited, the potential benefits of exercise interventions for frail older adults with diabetes were substantial. Further high-quality studies are needed to explore the most effective and cost-saving exercise interventions for frail older adults with diabetes.

Multidimensional associations of physical performance, balance, wellness and daily activities with frailty in older adults with coexisting frailty and diabetes

BACKGROUND

The coexistence of frailty and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the older population heightens the risk of adverse events. However, research on functional and wellness factors associated with frailty in this population is limited.

PURPOSE

To investigate the associations of physical performance, functional dependency, physical activity, nutritional status, sleep, self-perceived health and depression with frailty in community-dwelling older adults with coexisting frailty and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

METHODS

The study included 123 community-dwelling older adults (73.7 ± 6.0 years) with pre-frailty/frailty and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Physical performance (Short Physical Performance Battery), functional dependency (Barthel Index and Lawton & Brody), physical activity and inactivity (GeneActiv wrist-worn accelerometer), malnutrition risk (Mini Nutritional Assessment), sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), self-perceived health (EuroQoL 5-Dimension 3-Level) and depression (Yesavage 15-item-Geriatric-Depression-Scale) were evaluated through personal interviews. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to categorize the variables into components, and logistic regressions were used to propose the best-fitted model for each component.

RESULTS

The PCA identified four components: (i) physical performance, with gait speed and leg mean velocity as the main variables associated with frailty; (ii) balance, showing significant associations with monopodal balance; (iii) daily activities, with moderate to vigorous physical activity and the Lawton and Brody score as the main variables associated with frailty within this component; and (iv) wellness factors, with nutritional status, self-perceived health and depression score as the primary variables associated with frailty.

CONCLUSIONS

This research underscores the significance of physical function and daily activities as protective factors against frailty in community-dwelling older adults with coexisting frailty and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The health dimension contributes both protective and risk factors, emphasizing the need for comprehensive assessments in managing frailty in this population.

REPORTING METHOD

The study adhered to the STROBE checklist.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public contribution.

Association of phenotypic frailty and frailty index with type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia in middle-aged and elderly Chinese: A longitudinal cohort study

PURPOSE

Frailty, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and dyslipidemia are highly prevalent in middle-aged and elderly populations. However, evidence on the longitudinal association of frailty with T2D and dyslipidemia is limited. The aim of our study was to explore the cross-sectional and longitudinal effects of frailty levels on T2D and dyslipidemia in combination with phenotypic frailty and frailty index (FI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Multivariate logistic regression model was used to explore the association of frailty status with T2D and dyslipidemia. Area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) to estimate the predictive values of phenotypic frailty and frailty index for T2D and dyslipidemia. In addition, depressive symptom was used as a mediating variable to examine whether it mediates the association between frailty and T2D or dyslipidemia.

RESULTS

10,203 and 9587 participants were chosen for the longitudinal association analysis of frailty with T2D and dyslipidemia. Frailty was associated with T2D (phenotypic frailty: OR=1.50, 95 %CI=1.03, 2.17; FI: OR=1.17, 95 %CI=1.08, 1.26) and dyslipidemia (phenotypic frailty: OR=1.56, 95 %CI=1.16, 2.10; FI: OR=1.17, 95 %CI=1.10, 1.25). Phenotypic frailty and frailty index significantly improved the risk discrimination of T2D and dyslipidemia (p<0.05). Depressive symptoms played a mediating role in the association between frailty and long-term T2D or dyslipidemia (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Frailty had adverse effects on type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia, with depressive symptoms acting as the mediator.

Association between frailty and hepatic fibrosis in NAFLD among middle-aged and older adults: results from NHANES 2017-2020

Background

Although previous studies found that frailty is prevalent in NAFLD patients with advanced liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, studies examining the relationship are spare.

Aim

Our study aspires to investigate the potential correlation between the Frailty Index (FI) and hepatic fibrosis among middle-aged and older adults with NAFLD.

Methods

Data from the 2017-2020.03 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were utilized for this study, with a final of 2,383 participants aged 50 years and older included. The quantification of frailty was executed employing a 49-item frailty index. The recognition of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis was accomplished through the utilization of the controlling attenuation parameter (CAP) and transient elastography (TE). The relationship between the FI and hepatic fibrosis were investigated employing univariable and multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analyses. A subgroup analysis was conducted, dividing the subjects based on gender, Body Mass Index (BMI), and the presence of hyperlipidemia.

Results

The findings demonstrated a positive correlation between the FI and significant hepatic fibrosis in NAFLD, even after using multivariate logistic regression models adjusting for potential confounding factors (OR = 1.022, 95% CI, 1.004-1.041) and in tertiles (Q3vs Q1: OR = 2.004, 95% CI, 1.162-3.455). In the subgroup analysis, the correlation was more statistically significant in male (OR = 1.046, 95% CI, 1.022-1.071), under/normal weight (OR = 1.077, 95% CI, 1.009-1.150), overweight (OR = 1.040, 95% CI, 1.010-1.071), and subjects without hyperlipidemia (OR = 1.054, 95% CI, 1.012-1.097). The area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve for the FI in assessing the existence of substantial fibrosis in NAFLD was 0.612 (95% CI, 0.596-0.628).

Conclusion

This study demonstrated a positive correlation between significant hepatic fibrosis and frailty, particularly among males aged 50 years and older, who were non-obese and did not have hyperlipidemia with NAFLD. Additional studies are required to further validate these findings.

Guideline for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus in the Elderly in China (2024 Edition)

With the deepening of aging in China, the prevalence of diabetes in older people has increased noticeably, and standardized diabetes management is critical for improving clinical outcomes of diabetes in older people. In 2021, the National Center of Gerontology, Chinese Society of Geriatrics, and Diabetes Professional Committee of Chinese Aging Well Association organized experts to write the first guideline for diabetes diagnosis and treatment in older people in China, the Guideline for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus in the Elderly in China (2021 Edition). The guideline emphasizes that older patients with diabetes are a highly heterogeneous group requiring comprehensive assessment and stratified and individualized management strategies. The guideline proposes simple treatments and de-intensified treatment strategies for older patients with diabetes. This edition of the guideline provides clinicians with practical and operable clinical guidance, thus greatly contributing to the comprehensive and full-cycle standardized management of older patients with diabetes in China and promoting the extensive development of clinical and basic research on diabetes in older people and related fields. In the past 3 years, evidence-based medicine for older patients with diabetes and related fields has further advanced, and new treatment concepts, drugs, and technologies have been developed. The guideline editorial committee promptly updated the first edition of the guideline and compiled the Guideline for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus in the Elderly in China (2024 Edition). More precise management paths for older patients with diabetes are proposed, for achieving continued standardization of the management of older Chinese patients with diabetes and improving their clinical outcomes.

Prevalence and Impact of Frailty in Pancreatic Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Based on 35,191 Patients

BACKGROUND

Frailty has been associated with increased mortality among patients with pancreatic cancer. Nevertheless, several lines of evidence regarding the prevalence of frailty in patients with pancreatic cancer and mortality in patients with pancreatic cancer and frailty have not been thoroughly investigated and require clarification.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies indexed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase through March 2023 were conducted, and the pooled prevalence and relative risk (RR) estimate were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 18 studies containing 35,191 patients with pancreatic cancer were included. The prevalence of frailty in pancreatic cancer was 45% (95% CI = 29-62; I2 = 99.9%; p = 0.000). In patients with pancreatic cancer, frailty was associated with increased relative risk for mortality (RR = 1.70; 95% CI = 1.30-2.22; I2 = 84.8%, p = 0.000).

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty prevalence in pancreatic cancer is common and exerts a significant negative impact on the survival of patients with pancreatic cancer. Our findings are characterized by significant heterogeneity, and caution is warranted in their interpretation. However, these findings highlight the importance of evaluating frailty, which may provide prognostic data and inform decision-making priorities.

Rationale and design of Juntendo Sarcopenia Registration to explore the predictors and prognosis of sarcopenia and frailty in the elderly in TOKYO (JUSTICE-TOKYO)

AIM

This study aimed to clarify the prevalence, predictors, and prognosis of frailty and sarcopenia in both cross-sectional and longitudinal study of the real world.

METHODS

The JUSTICE-TOKYO study is a single-center, prospective observational study of elderly patients. Patients aged ≥65 years who regularly visited our center were enrolled and followed up for 4 years (n = 1042). The diagnosis of sarcopenia and frailty in the enrolled patients was based on the criteria established by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia and Japanese version of the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria, respectively. The primary end point is the incidence of all-cause mortality and hospitalization for treatment. The secondary end points are clinically significant bleeding, cardiovascular events, strokes, malignancies, incidence of falling, fractures, pneumonia, and the onset of new dementia cases.

RESULTS

A total of 1042 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean age of the cohort at baseline was 78.2 years, with 56% being women. Among the enrolled patients, 223 (21.4%) diagnosed with sarcopenia, 172 (16.5%) exhibited frailty, and 541 (51.9%) fell into the prefrailty category.

CONCLUSIONS

The JUSTICE-TOKYO study provides valuable insights into the prevalence of sarcopenia and frailty among older adult outpatients in a real-world context and contributes to measures aimed at extending healthy life expectancy. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 168-172.

The inverse association between DNA gaps and HbA1c levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Naturally occurring DNA gaps have been observed in eukaryotic DNA, including DNA in nondividing cells. These DNA gaps are found less frequently in chronologically aging yeast, chemically induced senescence cells, naturally aged rats, D-galactose-induced aging model rats, and older people. These gaps function to protect DNA from damage, so we named them youth-associated genomic stabilization DNA gaps (youth-DNA-gaps). Type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 DM) is characterized by an early aging phenotype. Here, we explored the correlation between youth-DNA-gaps and the severity of type 2 DM. Here, we investigated youth-DNA-gaps in white blood cells from normal controls, pre-DM, and type 2 DM patients. We found significantly decreased youth-DNA-gap numbers in the type 2 DM patients compared to normal controls (P = 0.0377, P = 0.0018 adjusted age). In the type 2 DM group, youth-DNA-gaps correlate directly with HbA1c levels. (r = - 0.3027, P = 0.0023). Decreased youth-DNA-gap numbers were observed in patients with type 2 DM and associated with increased HbA1c levels. Therefore, the decrease in youth-DNA-gaps is associated with the molecular pathogenesis of high blood glucose levels. Furthermore, youth-DNA-gap number is another marker that could be used to determine the severity of type 2 DM.

Prevalence and influencing factors of frailty in older patients with diabetes in China: a system review and meta-analysis

Background and aims

To systematically evaluate the relevant literature to explore the prevalence and influencing factors of frailty in older patients with diabetes in China.

Methods

Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Proquest Central, Web of Science, SinoMed, CNKI, VIP and Wan fang Databases were searched to collect Chinese and English literatures about frailty in older diabetic patients. RevMan 5.4 software was used to extract data for systematic review.

Results

Seventeen studies involving 23,070 older patients with diabetes were included. The results showed that the prevalence of frailty in older Chinese diabetic patients was 30%. The main influencing factors were HbA1c level, number of complications, age, depression, exercise, and nutritional status.

Conclusion

The prevalence of frailty in Chinese elderly diabetic patients is high and there are many influencing factors. However, the quality of relevant literature is general and the number is limited, so high-quality prospective studies should be carried out in the future to further verify the conclusions.

Diagnostic accuracy of the FRAIL scale for frailty screening in community-dwelling older adults with diabetes: A cross-sectional study

There is limited evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of the FRAIL scale in community-dwelling older adults with diabetes. This study aimed to validate the diagnostic accuracy and determine the optimal cutoff point of the FRAIL scale in community-dwelling older adults with diabetes using the Fried Frailty Phenotype as the reference standard. A total of 489 community-dwelling older adults with diabetes aged 60 or above were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The FRAIL scale showed good diagnostic accuracy for frailty screening. The optimal cutoff point for frailty screening in older adults with diabetes was 2. The agreement between the FRAIL scale and the Fried Frailty Phenotype was substantial. The FRAIL scale classified more participants as frail (29.24%) than the Fried Frailty Phenotype (22.09%). These findings provide evidence that the FRAIL scale is a valid tool that can be applied to community-dwelling older adults with diabetes.

Associations Between Frailty and the Increased Risk of Adverse Outcomes Among 38,950 UK Biobank Participants With Prediabetes: Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Compared with adults with normal glucose metabolism, those with prediabetes tend to be frail. However, it remains poorly understood whether frailty could identify adults who are most at risk of adverse outcomes related to prediabetes.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to systematically evaluate the associations between frailty, a simple health indicator, and risks of multiple adverse outcomes including incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), diabetes-related microvascular disease, cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), eye disease, dementia, depression, and all-cause mortality in late life among middle-aged adults with prediabetes.

METHODS

We evaluated 38,950 adults aged 40 years to 64 years with prediabetes using the baseline survey from the UK Biobank. Frailty was assessed using the frailty phenotype (FP; range 0-5), and participants were grouped into nonfrail (FP=0), prefrail (1≤FP≤2), and frail (FP≥3). Multiple adverse outcomes (ie, T2DM, diabetes-related microvascular disease, CVD, CKD, eye disease, dementia, depression, and all-cause mortality) were ascertained during a median follow-up of 12 years. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the associations. Several sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the results.

RESULTS

At baseline, 49.1% (19,122/38,950) and 5.9% (2289/38,950) of adults with prediabetes were identified as prefrail and frail, respectively. Both prefrailty and frailty were associated with higher risks of multiple adverse outcomes in adults with prediabetes (P for trend <.001). For instance, compared with their nonfrail counterparts, frail participants with prediabetes had a significantly higher risk (P<.001) of T2DM (hazard ratio [HR]=1.73, 95% CI 1.55-1.92), diabetes-related microvascular disease (HR=1.89, 95% CI 1.64-2.18), CVD (HR=1.66, 95% CI 1.44-1.91), CKD (HR=1.76, 95% CI 1.45-2.13), eye disease (HR=1.31, 95% CI 1.14-1.51), dementia (HR=2.03, 95% CI 1.33-3.09), depression (HR=3.01, 95% CI 2.47-3.67), and all-cause mortality (HR=1.81, 95% CI 1.51-2.16) in the multivariable-adjusted models. Furthermore, with each 1-point increase in FP score, the risk of these adverse outcomes increased by 10% to 42%. Robust results were generally observed in sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

In UK Biobank participants with prediabetes, both prefrailty and frailty are significantly associated with higher risks of multiple adverse outcomes, including T2DM, diabetes-related diseases, and all-cause mortality. Our findings suggest that frailty assessment should be incorporated into routine care for middle-aged adults with prediabetes, to improve the allocation of health care resources and reduce diabetes-related burden.

Association of pre-stroke frailty and health-related factors with post-stroke functional independence among community-dwelling Chinese older adults

OBJECTIVES

Frailty is associated with a range of poor post-stroke outcomes. There is still a lack of comprehensive understanding of the temporal relationship between pre-stroke frailty status and other related factors with functional recovery after stroke. This study aims to evaluate pre-stroke frailty status and health-related factors associated with functional independence among community-dwelling Chinese older adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The dataset based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) conducted in 28 provinces across China was used. The pre-stroke frailty status was assessed using the Physical Frailty Phenotype (PFP) scale with the 2015 wave data. The PFP scale consisted of five criteria with a total score of 5, and categorized into non-frail (0 point), prefrail (1 and 2 points), and frail (3 or more points). Covariates included demographic factors (age, sex, marital status, residence, and education level) and health-related variables (comorbidities, self-reported health status and cognition). Activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) were assessed as the functional outcomes, with difficulties in at least one of the 6 ADL items and 5 IADL items defined as ADL/IADL limitation respectively. A logistic regression model was used to estimate the associations.

RESULTS

A total of 666 participants who were newly diagnosed with stroke during the 2018 wave were included. 234 (35.1%) participants were classified as non-frail, 380 (57.1%) participants were classified as prefrail, and 52 (7.8%) participants were classified as frail. Pre-stroke frailty was significantly associated with ADL and IADL limitations post stroke. Additional significant variables with ADL limitation were age, female and more comorbidities. Additional significant variables with IADL limitation were age, female, married or cohabitating, more comorbidities and pre-stroke lower global cognitive score.

CONCLUSION

Frailty status was associated with ADL and IADL limitations after stroke. A more comprehensive assessment of frailty in older people may help to identify those with most significant risk for declining functional capacities after stroke and to develop appropriate intervention strategies.

Comparison of Frailty Assessment Tools for Older Thai Individuals at the Out-Patient Clinic of the Family Medicine Department

This study evaluated the validity of the screening tools used to evaluate the frailty status of older Thai people. A cross-sectional study of 251 patients aged 60 years or more in an out-patient department was conducted using the Frailty Assessment Tool of the Thai Ministry of Public Health (FATMPH) and the Frail Non-Disabled (FiND) questionnaire, and the results were compared with Fried's Frailty Phenotype (FFP). The validity of the data acquired using each method was evaluated by examining their sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and Cohen's kappa coefficient. Most of the participants were female (60.96%), and most were between 60 and 69 years old (65.34%). The measured prevalences of frailty were 8.37%, 17.53%, and 3.98% using FFP, FATMPH, and FiND tools, respectively. FATMP had a sensitivity of 57.14%, a specificity of 86.09%, a PPV of 27.27%, and an NPV of 95.65%. FiND had a sensitivity of 19.05%, a specificity of 97.39%, a PPV of 40.00%, and an NPV of 92.94%. The results of the Cohen's kappa comparison of these two tools and FFP were 0.298 for FATMPH and 0.147 for FiND. The predictive values of both FATMPH and FiND were insufficient for assessing frailty in a clinical setting. Additional research on other frailty tools is necessary to improve the accuracy of frailty screening in the older population of Thailand.

Association of Baseline and Longitudinal Changes in Frailty Burden and Risk of Heart Failure in Type 2 Diabetes-Findings from the Look AHEAD Trial

BACKGROUND

Individuals with diabetes have a high frailty burden and increased risk of heart failure (HF). In this study, we evaluated the association of baseline and longitudinal changes in frailty with risk of HF and its subtypes: HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

METHODS

Participants (age: 45-76 years) of the Look AHEAD trial without prevalent HF were included. The frailty index (FI) was used to assess frailty burden using a 35-variable deficit model. The association between baseline and longitudinal changes (1- and 4-year follow-up) in FI with risk of overall HF, HFpEF (ejection fraction [EF] ≥ 50%), and HFrEF (EF < 50%) independent of other risk factors and cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed using adjusted Cox models.

RESULTS

The study included 5 100 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus, of which 257 developed HF. In adjusted analysis, higher frailty burden was significantly associated with a greater risk of overall HF. Among HF subtypes, higher baseline FI was significantly associated with risk of HFpEF (hazard ratio [HR] [95% CI] per 1-SD higher FI: 1.37 [1.15-1.63]) but not HFrEF (HR [95% CI]: 1.19 [0.96-1.46]) after adjustment for potential confounders, including traditional HF risk factors. Among participants with repeat measures of FI at 1- and 4-year follow-up, an increase in frailty burden was associated with a higher risk of HFpEF (HR [95% CI] per 1-SD increase in FI at 4 years: 1.78 [1.35-2.34]) but not HFrEF after adjustment for other confounders.

CONCLUSIONS

Among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, higher baseline frailty and worsening frailty burden over time were independently associated with higher risk of HF, particularly HFpEF after adjustment for other confounders.

Frailty and risk of microvascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

Cross-sectional studies found that frailty was associated with prevalent diabetic microvascular complications (DMC). Longitudinal evidence in this regard is inconclusive and insufficient. We aimed to prospectively evaluate the association of pre-frailty and frailty with DMC in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

METHODS

We included 18,062 adults (mean age 59.4 ± 7.2 years, 37.4% female) with T2D at baseline in the UK Biobank. Frailty was defined using the frailty phenotype according to five components (weight loss, exhaustion, low physical activity, slow gait speed, and low grip strength). DMC, defined as diabetic nephropathy, diabetic neuropathy, or diabetic retinopathy, was identified using hospital inpatient records and death registries. Cox proportional hazard regression models considering competing risks were used to evaluate the associations of frailty phenotype with overall DMC events and subtypes.

RESULTS

Among all participants, 6101 (33.8%) were classified as non-frail, 10,073 (55.8%) were classified as pre-frail, and 1888 (10.4%) were classified as frail. During a median follow-up of 12.0 years, 3678 DMC cases were documented, including 2213 diabetic nephropathy, 1520 diabetic retinopathy, and 673 diabetic neuropathy events. In the multivariable-adjusted model, compared with participants with non-frail, both pre-frailty and frailty were significantly associated with increased risk of overall DMC (HR 1.10, 95% CI: [1.02, 1.18] for pre-frailty and HR 1.52 [95% CI: 1.36, 1.69] for frailty). Similar results were observed in the subtypes of DMC. For each one-point increase in frailty phenotype score, the risk of overall DMC, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic retinopathy, and diabetic neuropathy event increased by 13%, 16%, 10%, and 20%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Both pre-frailty and frailty were associated with an increased risk of DMC in patients with T2D. These findings have important implications for integrating early assessment and surveillance of frailty in diabetes and may favor the identification of at-risk patients.

Adherence to Medication in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Living in Lubuskie Voivodeship in Poland: Association with Frailty Syndrome

Purpose: Diabetic patients aged 65 years or older are more likely to be frail than non-diabetic older adults. Adherence to therapeutic recommendations in the elderly suffering from diabetes and co-existent frailty syndrome may prevent complications such as micro- or macroangiopathy, as well as significantly affect prevention and reversibility of frailty. The study aimed at assessing the impact of frailty syndrome (FS) on the level of adherence to medication in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes (DM2). Patients and Methods: The research was carried out among 175 DM2 patients (87; 49.71% women and 88; 50.29% men) whose average age amounted to 70.25 ± 6.7. Standardized research instruments included Tilburg frailty indicator (TFI) to assess FS and adherence in chronic disease scale questionnaire (ACDS) to measure adherence to medications. Results: The group of 101 (57.71%) patients displayed medium, 39 (22.29%)—low, and 35 (20.00%)—high adherence. As many as 140 of them (80.00%) were diagnosed with frailty syndrome. The median of the average result of TFI was significantly higher in the low adherence group (p ˂ 0.001) (Mdn = 9, Q1–Q3; 7–10 pt.) than in the medium (Mdn = 6, Q1–Q3; 5–9 pt.) or high adherence (Mdn = 6.00, Q1–Q3; 4.5–8 pt.) ones. The independent predictors of the chance to be qualified to the non-adherence group included three indicators: TFI (OR 1.558, 95% CI 1.245–1.95), male gender (OR 2.954, 95% CI 1.044–8.353), and the number of all medications taken daily (each extra pill decreased the chance of being qualified to the non-adherence group by 15.3% (95% CI 0.728–0.954). Conclusion: Frailty syndrome in elderly DM2 patients influenced medical adherence in this group. The low adhesion group had higher overall TFI scores and separately higher scores in the physical and psychological domains compared to the medium and high adhesion groups.

Sleep Duration and Frailty Risk among Older Adults: Evidence from a Retrospective, Population-Based Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

Frailty and sleep duration complaints are both prevalent and often coexist among older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the prospective association between sleep duration and frailty risk in a nationally representative cohort study.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study, ten-year follow-up.

SETTING

Community-based setting in 23 provinces of China.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 7623 older adults age 65 and over without frailty at baseline were included in the analysis.

MEASUREMENTS

The participants were divided into three groups according to self-reported sleep duration: short (≤6 hours per day), middle (>6 but <10 hours per day) and long (≥10 hours per day). Frailty was measured according to the accumulation of health deficits by the construction of a frailty index of 38 items with 0.25 as the cutoff. A Cox proportional hazard model, a competing risk model and a generalized estimating equation (GEE) model with multiple adjustments were performed to evaluate the association between sleep duration and frailty risk.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up period of 4.4 years (IQR 2.9-9.0), 2531 (33.2%) individuals developed frailty. Compared with participants with middle sleep duration, the risk of frailty was increased among participants with long sleep duration (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.14-1.38) in the fully adjusted Cox proportional hazard model. However, short sleep duration was insignificantly associated with frailty risk. The competing risk model and the GEE model yielded similar results.

CONCLUSION

Long sleep duration is significantly associated with frailty incidence among older adults even after adjustment for confounding factors. This study provides reinforcing longitudinal evidence for the need to design sleep quality improvement interventions in health care programs to prevent frailty among older adults.

Combined effect of diabetes and frailty on mortality among Chinese older adults: A follow-up study

BACKGROUND

Frailty and diabetes are two important health problems associated with aging in older individuals. This paper seeks to analyze the frailty in older adults suffering from diabetes and the combined effect of diabetes and frailty on mortality risk.

METHODS

The frailty index (FI) model was employed when evaluating frailty among the older adults based on the baseline data conducted in 2009; and death as outcome variables collected in 2020 were analyzed. The influence of diabetes on age-related changes in frailty in the older adults and resulting mortality rates was analyzed. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier curves were applied to evaluate the influence on the risk of death and the 11-year survival of the older adults with varying diabetes and frailty statuses.

RESULTS

Ultimately, 1,213 older people aged between 60 and 101, with an average age of (74.79 ± 8.58) at baseline, were included in the analysis. By 2020, there had been 447 deaths with mortality at 36.9% (447/1,213); there were 271 cases of diabetes, with a prevalence of 22.3% (271/1,213). The mean FI value for older adults with diabetes was higher than that of those without regardless of age, and the average annual relative growth rate of the FI value for older adults with diabetes was higher than that of those without diabetes (β = 0.039 vs. β = 0.035, t = 8.367, P < 0.001). For all FI value levels, the mortality rate among older adults with diabetes was higher than that of those without. The Cox Regression analysis showed that, compared with those suffering from neither diabetes nor frailty, older adults with both had the higher mortality risk (HR = 1.760. P < 0.001), followed by older adults suffering from frailty alone (HR = 1.594, P = 0.006), and then by older adults suffering from only diabetes (HR = 1.475, P = 0.033). The survival analysis showed that the median survival of those suffering from diabetes and frailty to be the shortest at just 57.23 (95% CI: 54.05 to 60.41) months, lower than the 83.78 (95% CI: 79.33 to 88.23) months in those suffering from frailty alone, and 119.93 (95% CI: 113.84 to 126.02) months in those with only diabetes, and 124.39 (95% CI: 119.76 to 129.02) months in older adults with neither diabetes nor frailty (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Frailty is common among older adults suffering from diabetes, and there is an increased risk of poor health outcomes, such as death, among older adults suffering from diabetes and frailty. When diagnosing, treating, and dealing with older adults with diabetes, attention should be paid to screening and assessing frailty in hopes of identifying it early so that appropriate measures of intervention can be taken to avoid or delay the resulting adverse effects.

Co-occurrence of Physical Frailty and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Association with Disability and Mortality: Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study

BACKGROUND

Physical frailty is commonly associated with COPD, and its evaluation in COPD may provide important prognostic information for risk stratification.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

What are the co-morbid associations of physical frailty with COPD? Does physical frailty singly and in combination with FEV₁% and dyspnoea predict disability and mortality?

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Prospective cohort study of community-dwelling adults aged 55+ in the Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study. Baseline data of 1162 participants with COPD and 3465 participants without COPD included physical frailty, FEV₁% and dyspnoea. Outcome measures were prevalent and incident IADL/ADL disability at 3-5 years follow up and all-cause mortality up to 11 years. Odds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were adjusted for socioeconomic status, smoking and comorbidity count.

RESULTS

Baseline prevalence of prefrailty (48.8%) and frailty (6.8%) in participants with COPD were significantly higher than in participants without COPD: frailty OR=1.61, 95%CI=1.15-2.26. Prefrailty/frailty was associated significantly with 2-fold increased odds of prevalent and incident IADL/ADL disability and mortality in participants with COPD. In combination with FEV₁%<80% or dyspnoea, frailty was associated with substantially increased 3-4-fold odds of prevalent and incident IADL/ADL disability, and 2-3-fold increased mortality hazard. A summary score combining physical frailty, FEV₁<80% and dyspnoea predicted steeper risk gradients of prevalent and incident IADL/ADL disability and mortality across four risk categories (0,1,2,3-5), with the highest risk category predicting between 7-8.5-fold increased risks in crude analyses, which remained significantly high after covariate adjustment.

INTERPRETATION

The study supports the use of physical frailty in addition to lung function and dyspnoea in multidimensional evaluation of COPD.

Frailty Is Associated with Oxidative Stress in Older Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Aging has increased the prevalence of frailty, and type 2 diabetes (T2D) has also increased in prevalence. Diabetes and oxidative stress (OS) have been shown to be related to frailty. However, the exact mechanism by which it occurs is not fully known. Our aim was to analyze body composition in community-dwelling older diabetic people treated in our center and to evaluate the possible relation between OS, frailty, and body composition. We included 100 adults older than 65 years with T2D. We found that 15% were frail and 57% were prefrail. The patients included in the nonrobust group showed increased levels of OS. Our study shows that the presence of T2D in the geriatric population is associated with a high prevalence of frailty and high OS levels, conditions that cause greater morbidity and mortality and that highlight the importance of the diagnosis of frailty in this population.

The prevalence of frailty among breast cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Coexistence of frailty and breast cancer (BC) is related to a higher risk of hospitalization, mortality, and falls. Given the potential reversibility of frailty, investigating its epidemiology in BC is of great importance. However, estimates of the prevalence of frailty in BC patients vary considerably. We synthesized the existing body of literature on the prevalence of frailty among BC patients.

METHODS

We searched English databases (Cochrane Library, PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science) and Chinese databases (CNKI, WanFang, CBM, and VIP database) from the inception to April 15, 2021, and collected observational studies about the prevalence of frailty among BC patients. The robustness of the pooled estimates was validated by analysis of different subgroups, meta-regression, and sensitivity. All data were analyzed using Stata 15.1.

RESULTS

In total, 4645 articles were screened and data from 24 studies involving 13,510 subjects were used in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of frailty among BC patients in individual studies varied from 5 to 71%. The pooled prevalence of frailty was 43% (95% confidence intervals (CI): 36% to 50%, I² = 98.4%, P < 0.05). Subgroup analyses revealed that the therapeutic method, frailty scales, age, frailty stage, regions, publication years, and study quality were associated with the prevalence of frailty among BC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of frailty among BC patients was relatively high, and the conditions of BC treatment can increase the risk of frailty. Understanding the effects of frailty on BC, especially in elderly patients, can provide the healthcare personnel with the theoretical basis for patients' management and treatment.

Physical frailty and cognitive impairment in older nursing home residents: a latent class analysis

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the heterogeneous clinical profile of physical frailty and its association with cognitive impairment in older U.S. nursing home (NH) residents.

METHODS

Minimum Data Set 3.0 at admission was used to identify older adults newly-admitted to nursing homes with life expectancy ≥6 months and length of stay ≥100 days (n = 871,801). Latent class analysis was used to identify physical frailty subgroups, using FRAIL-NH items as indicators. The association between the identified physical frailty subgroups and cognitive impairment (measured by Brief Interview for Mental Status/Cognitive Performance Scale: none/mild; moderate; severe), adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics, was estimated by multinomial logistic regression and presented in adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

In older nursing home residents at admission, three physical frailty subgroups were identified: "mild physical frailty" (prevalence: 7.6%), "moderate physical frailty" (44.5%) and "severe physical frailty" (47.9%). Those in "moderate physical frailty" or "severe physical frailty" had high probabilities of needing assistance in transferring between locations and inability to walk in a room. Residents in "severe physical frailty" also had greater probability of bowel incontinence. Compared to those with none/mild cognitive impairment, older residents with moderate or severe impairment had slightly higher odds of belonging to "moderate physical frailty" [aOR (95%CI)moderate cognitive impairment: 1.01 (0.99-1.03); aOR (95%CI)severe cognitive impairment: 1.03 (1.01-1.05)] and much higher odds to the "severe physical frailty" subgroup [aOR (95%CI)moderate cognitive impairment: 2.41 (2.35-2.47); aOR (95%CI)severe cognitive impairment: 5.74 (5.58-5.90)].

CONCLUSIONS

Findings indicate the heterogeneous presentations of physical frailty in older nursing home residents and additional evidence on the interrelationship between physical frailty and cognitive impairment.