Both pre-frailty and frailty increase healthcare utilization and adverse health outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

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.

Frailty Assessment Tools Influence the Outcome Associations Among Patients With Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Frailty, characterized by aging-associated physiological reserve decline, leads to functional loss and adverse outcomes. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have a high frailty risk. However, whether frailty assessment results derived from different tools diverge regarding their outcome correlations remains unclear.

OBJECTIVES

The authors analyzed associations between different frailty assessment results and DM patients' outcomes METHODS: Between 2008 and 2016, adults (age >40 years) with type 2 DM were identified from the National Taiwan University Hospital Integrated Medical Database. The frailty assessment was performed using modified FRAIL scale and frailty index. Cox proportional hazard and Poisson regression analyses were used to determine the relationship between frailty and multiple outcomes after multivariate adjustment.

RESULTS

In total, 30,012 patients (mean 64.1 years, 45.4% women) with type 2 DM were included. The 2 frailty assessments were moderately positively correlated (r = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.48-0.49). After a median of 7.1 years (Q1-Q3: 3.9-10.4 years) of follow-up, FRAIL-identified mild and moderate-to-severe frailty did not correlate with a high mortality probability, but frailty index-identified severe and moderate frailty did. However, FRAIL-identified moderate-to-severe frailty correlated with a higher probability of all-cause hospitalization (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 1.2; 95% CI: 1.09-1.32), intensive care unit admission (IRR 4.19; 95% CI: 1.69-10.38), and cardiovascular hospitalization (IRR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.28-1.66), whereas frailty index-identified mild, moderate, and severe frailty increased the probability of all-cause and cardiovascular hospitalizations only.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed major discrepancies in outcome associations between FRAIL scale and frailty index among DM patients. Carefully selecting tools for measuring DM-associated frailty is important.

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.

Frailty and the Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Prospective Cohort and Mendelian Randomization Study

BACKGROUND

Both frailty and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are related to aging and may share some common mechanisms. We aimed to examine the observational and causal association between frailty and the risk of AMD.

METHODS

We included 320 810 participants free of AMD at baseline from the UK Biobank. Frailty phenotypes were defined according to 5 components: weight loss, exhaustion, slow gait speed, low grip strength, and low physical activity. Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the association between frailty phenotype and the risk of AMD. A causal relationship between frailty phenotype and AMD was examined using 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 12.81 years, 7 222 AMD cases were documented. After adjusting for confounding factors, compared with nonfrail participants, both pre-frail and frail participants were significantly associated with an increased risk of AMD (hazard ratio [HR] 1.17, [95% confidence interval {CI}: 1.11, 1.23] for pre-frailty and HR 1.55 [95% CI: 1.40, 1.73] for frailty). With each 1-point increase in frailty phenotype score, the risk of AMD increased by 14%. Results from the 2-sample MR analysis supported the potential causal effect of frailty phenotype on AMD.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggested that frailty assessment may help identify at-risk populations and serve as a potential strategy for early prevention and management of AMD.

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.

Ketoanalogue use is associated with a lower risk of worsening frailty among patients with diabetic kidney disease of advanced stage: A retrospective cohort study

Background

Patients with diabetes kidney disease (DKD) are at risk of developing frailty, leading to functional impairment and poor outcomes. Medications are potential modifiers of such risk. Ketoanalogues have been shown to delay dialysis initiation in DKD patients. We investigated whether ketoanalogues use influenced the risk of worsening frailty in this population.

Methods

From 840,000 patients with diabetes, we identified those with DKD but without full-fledged frailty, and divided them into those with and without receiving ketoanalogue, followed by propensity score matching in 1:4 ratio. Worsening frailty was defined as ≥1 positive FRAIL item increase compared to baseline status (0, 1, or 2 items) during follow-up. We used Cox proportional hazard regression to estimate the probability of worsening frailty, adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, glycemic control, renal function, treatments and medications.

Results

Totally 183 and 732 ketoanalogue users and matched non-users were identified, respectively. The mean age of included patients was 57.4 years, with 91.3 % having non-dialysis stage 5 chronic kidney disease. Approximately two-thirds had pre-frailty (1 o2 items). After 3.72 years, 16.6 % patients had worsening frailty. Multivariate analyses, adjusting for confounders disclosed that ketoanalogue users (≥14 days) had a significantly lower risk of worsening frailty than non-users (hazard ratio (HR) 0.52, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.32-0.87). Sensitivity analysis including those received ketoanalogue ≥28 days showed even greater benefits (HR 0.45, 95 % CI 0.26-0.78).

Conclusions

Patients with DKD receiving ketoanalogues were less likely to have worsening frailty over time than non-users. Our findings uncover a new potential strategy of ameliorating frailty progression in this population carrying a high risk of accelerated aging.

Impact of exercise training in combination with dapagliflozin on physical function in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: study protocol for the Dapagliflozin, Exercise Training and physicAl function (DETA) randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are associated with weight loss, diverse cardiorenal benefits and improved glycaemic control. However, the effects of SGLT2i on physical function and fitness are uncertain. The Dapagliflozin, Exercise Training and physicAl function trial investigates whether the SGLT2i dapagliflozin, alone or in combination with structured exercise training, improves physical function compared with diet-induced weight loss in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), overweight/obesity and impaired physical function.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This single-centre randomised controlled trial will assign 1:1:1, 135 adults with T2DM and low physical function to receive one of three treatments: (1) dapagliflozin (10 mg once-daily) alone, (2) dapagliflozin (10 mg once-daily) plus structured exercise training or (3) diet control (where participants are supported to achieve 3% weight loss, equivalent to estimated weight loss with dapagliflozin treatment). Primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 12 and 24 weeks. The primary outcome is the difference in physical function, assessed using the modified Physical Performance Test, between the treatment groups and diet control at 24 weeks. Secondary outcomes include MRI-measured cardiac structure and function, maximal aerobic capacity, resting metabolic rate, device-measured physical activity and sleep, body composition, haemoglobin A1c and cardiovascular risk markers.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The Heath Research Authority (HRA) and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) Research Ethics Committee have approved the study. The findings of the study will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ISRCTN11459997.

EUDRACT NUMBER

2019-004586-41.

Trajectories and management of vascular risk following the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis: A population-based matched cohort study between 1987 and 2018 in England

BACKGROUND

People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) have an increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease burden, but this could be mitigated by vascular risk factor management.

OBJECTIVES

We compared the trajectories of vascular risk factors, vascular comorbidities and clinical management in PwMS against the general population post-MS diagnosis while controlling for frailty.

METHODS

Retrospective longitudinal analysis using English data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink between 1987 and 2018 comprising PwMS matched with up to six controls without MS by age, sex and general practice.

RESULTS

We compared 12,251 PwMS with 72,572 matched controls; 3.8% of PwMS had mild-moderate frailty, 1.2% more than matched controls. Compared to controls, PwMS had an elevated incidence of Type 2 diabetes (HR 1.18, 95% CI (1.04, 1.34)), and starting antihypertensive medications (HR 1.40, 95% CI (1.33, 1.47)). Among those with hypertension at baseline, blood pressure trajectories did not differ between PwMS and controls. PwMS had increased rates of meeting targets for hypertension management (HR 1.25, 95% CI (1.12, 1.41)).

CONCLUSION

The observation that PwMS with hypertension are more likely to meet treatment targets than matched controls is encouraging, but the elevated rates of vascular comorbidities suggest that tighter vascular management may be needed in this population.

Prevalence and risk factors of frailty in older adults with diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty in older adults with diabetes; and to identify the risk factors associated with frailty in this population.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

PARTICIPANTS

24,332 people aged 60 years and older with diabetes.

METHODS

Six databases were searched (PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, and Chinese Biomedical Database) up to 15 January 2024. Random effects models were used in instances of significant heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were conducted to identify the potential source of heterogeneity. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) were applied to assess the quality of included studies.

RESULTS

3,195 abstracts were screened, and 39 full-text studies were included. In 39 studies with 24,332 older people with diabetes, the pooled prevalence of frailty among older adults with diabetes was 30.0% (95% CI: 23.6%-36.7%). Among the twenty-one studies involving 7,922 older people with diabetes, the pooled prevalence of pre-frailty was 45.1% (95% CI: 38.5%-51.8%). The following risk factors were associated with frailty among older adults with diabetes: older age (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.04-1.13, p<0.05), high HbA1c (OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.30-3.50, p<0.001), and less exercise (OR = 3.11, 95% CI: 1.36-7.12, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This suggests that clinical care providers should be vigilant in identifying frailty and risk factors of frailty while screening for and intervening in older adults with diabetes. However, there are not enough studies to identify comprehensive risk factors of frailty in older adults with diabetes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023470933.

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.

Combinations of valvular calcification and serum alkaline phosphatase predict cardiovascular risk among end-stage kidney disease patients

Background

Valvular calcification (VC) refers to the calcified valvular remodeling associated with kidney dysfunction, especially end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). ESKD patients with VC had significantly higher cardiovascular risk than those without. Factors interacted with VC regarding prognostic prediction in this population were seldom investigated. We aimed to examine the potential synergetic effects of VC and alkaline phosphatase (Alk-P) on ESKD patients' cardiovascular risk and mortality.

Methods

ESKD patients undergoing hemodialysis were prospectively enrolled from a medical center in 2018. We identified patients with echocardiography and available serum Alk-P levels. Cox proportional hazard regression was performed to analyze the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), cardiovascular and overall mortality among 4 participant groups (with or without VC versus low or high Alk-P levels). The models were further adjusted for age, sex, and clinical variables.

Results

Of the 309 ESKD patients, 38, 46, 112, and 113 had no VC with low Alk-P, no VC with high Alk-P, VC with low Alk-P, and VC with high Alk-P, respectively. After adjusting for age and sex, patients with VC and high Alk-P had a higher risk of developing MACE, cardiovascular and overall mortality (HR, 3.07, 3.67, 3.65; 95% CI 1.38-6.84, 1.1-12.24, 1.29-10.36, respectively). Patients with VC and high Alk-P remained at higher risk of MACE (HR, 2.76; 95% CI 1.17-6.48) than did those without VC and with low Alk-P.

Conclusion

Serum Alk-P could be used to identify a subgroup of ESKD patients with elevated cardiovascular risk among those with VC.

Frailty assessment and outcomes in primary care for patients with diabetes during Ramadan: implications for risk evaluation and care plans

Background

Frailty is a critical concern for older adults, impacting their susceptibility to adverse events and overall quality of life. This study aimed to determine the frailty status of patients 60 years or older in Abu Dhabi Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS) and assess its relation to the stress exerted by Ramadan fasting and the occurrence of any adverse outcomes.

Methods

In this prospective observational study, participants were included if the attending physicians used the IDF-DAR risk stratification assessment tool. A tele-interview was conducted to complete the FRAIL score within 6 weeks before Ramadan 1,444 (CE 2022). The outcome was assessed through another tele-interview and an electronic medical record review after Ramadan.

Results

According to the FRAIL assessment tool, among the 204 patients aged 60 years or older included in the study, 109 (53.4%) were classified as either frail or pre-frail. In total, 20 (9.8%) patients were frail, that is, 1 out of 10, and 89 (43.6%) were pre-frail. The remaining 95 (46.6%) patients were robust. Using logistic regression to assess the occurrence of adverse outcomes after Ramadan fasting, a higher frailty score was identified as the third independent risk factor [B = 0.4, OR = 1.5 (1-2.02-1.86), and p = 0.039] for experiencing an adverse event. The identified factors associated with frailty were age, increased albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR), chronic kidney diseases (CKDs), and ischemic heart diseases (beta = 0.27, p = 0.003; beta = 0.24, p = 0.004; beta = 0.2, p = 0.039; and beta = 0.18, p = 0.041, respectively). One-third of the frail patients had an event, while the incidence in pre-frail patients was 11.2%, and among the robust patients, the incidence was 6.3%. Physicians' global assessment of frailty did not align well with the structured FRAIL scoring. Only five (25%) out of the 20 patients identified as frail by the FRAIL assessment tool were also judged as frail or having cognitive function impairment by the physicians' global assessment tool.

Conclusion

Frailty is prevalent among elderly patients with diabetes. Disparity exists between subjective and objective frailty assessments, emphasizing the need for standardized evaluation methods. Using the FRAIL tool is recommended for patients aged 60 or older with diabetes in Abu Dhabi.

Frailty Detection in Older Adults with Diabetes: A Scoping Review of Assessment Tools and Their Link to Key Clinical Outcomes

Objectives: With the increasing prevalence of diabetes and frailty among older adults, there is an urgent need for precision medicine that incorporates comprehensive geriatric assessments, including frailty detection. This scoping review aims to map and synthesize the available evidence on validated tools for detecting pre-frailty and frailty in community-dwelling elderly individuals with diabetes and outpatient diabetes patients. Specifically, it addresses: (1) What validated tools are available for detecting pre-frailty and frailty in this population? (2) How are these tools associated with outcomes such as glycemic control, hypoglycemia, and metabolic phenotypes? (3) What gaps exist in the literature regarding these tools? Methods: The review followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines, conducting a systematic search across PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. The inclusion criteria focused on studies involving individuals aged 70 years and older with diabetes, emphasizing tools with predictive capacity for disability and mortality. Results: Eight instruments met the inclusion criteria, including the Frailty Index, Physical Frailty Phenotype, and Clinical Frailty Scale. These tools varied in domains such as physical, psychological, and social aspects of frailty and their association with glycemic control, hypoglycemia, and metabolic phenotypes. The review identified significant gaps in predicting diabetes-related complications and their clinical application. Conclusions: Routine management of older adults with diabetes should incorporate frailty detection, as it is crucial for their overall health. Although widely used, the reviewed tools require refinement to address the unique characteristics of this population. Developing tailored instruments will enhance precision medicine, leading to more effective, individualized interventions for elderly individuals with diabetes.

Regional differences in frailty among older adults with type 2 diabetes: a multicenter cross-sectional study in Japan

BACKGROUND

Social environment may broadly impact multifaceted frailty; however, how environmental differences influence frailty in older adults with diabetes remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate regional differences in frailty in urban and rural areas among older adults with diabetes.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted as part of the frailty prevention program for older adults with diabetes study. Older adults aged 60-80 years who could independently perform basic activities of daily living (ADLs) were enrolled sequentially. Trained nurses obtained patient background, complications, body weight, body composition, blood tests, grip strength, frailty assessment, and self-care score results. Regional differences in frailty were evaluated using logistic and multiple linear regression analyses.

RESULTS

This study included 417 participants (269 urban and 148 rural). The prevalence of robustness was significantly lower in rural areas than in urban areas (29.7% vs. 43.9%, p = 0.018). Living in rural areas was associated with frailty (odds ratio [OR] 2.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.38-4.71) and pre-frailty (OR 2.10, 95%CI 1.30-3.41). Lower instrumental ADL (B 0.28, standard error [SE] 0.073) and social ADL (B 0.265, SE 0.097) were characteristics of rural residents.

CONCLUSIONS

Regional differences in frailty were observed. Older adults with diabetes living in rural areas have a higher risk of frailty owing to a decline in instrumental and social ADLs. Social environment assessment and intervention programs that include communication strategies to enable care and social participation across environments are crucial to the effective and early prevention of frailty.

Extracellular MicroRNAs as Potential Biomarkers for Frail Kidney Phenotype: Progresses and Precautions

Frailty describes the cumulative subtle health deficits leading to an increased vulnerability to insults among older individuals or disease-laden ones. The prevalence of frailty increases substantially and relentlessly over declining renal function. Frailty in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) carries kidney-specific risk factors, clinical correlates and outcomes associations, hence alternatively termed frail kidney phenotype by researchers. Pathogenetically, miRNAs participate extensively in the development and aggravation of frailty, including the occurrence of frail kidney phenotype in CKD patients. These understandings spark profound interest in discovering biomarkers for identifying this detrimental phenotype, and extracellular miRNAs emerge as potentially useful ones. Pilot studies identify promising miRNA candidates for evaluating intermediates and surrogates of frail kidney phenotype, and more are underway. Several potential miRNA species in biologic fluids, such as circulating miR-29b and miR-223 (as inflammatory markers), exosomal miR-16-5p, miR-17/92 cluster members, and miR-106-5p (for uremic vasculopathy), serum exosomal miR-203a-3p (for uremic sarcopenia) have been examined and can be promising choices. Nonetheless, there remains research gap in affirming the direct connections between specific miRNAs and frail kidney phenotype. This stems partially from multiple limitations less well acknowledged before. From this perspective, we further outline the limitations and precautions prior to validating specific extracellular miRNA(s) for this purpose, from the definition of frailty definition, the functional and tissue specificity of miRNAs, the severity of CKD, and various technical considerations. It is expected that more affirmative studies can be produced for extending the utility of extracellular miRNAs in predicting frail kidney phenotype.

Literacy for Frailty among Undergraduate Medical Education: An Under-Recognized Opportunity to Improve Geriatric Care

Our society is aging much faster than it was before, and this phenomenon demands concerted action to optimize geriatric care. Presentations, clinical features, and management decision making are distinct between older adults and the general population, and to enhance care quality, there remains unmet needs for undergraduate geriatric education. Among all geriatric syndromes that clinically matter, frailty is particularly instrumental, serving as the overarching phenotype that connects other geriatric conditions and predisposes individuals to adverse outcomes. However, understandings for frailty, or "literacy for frailty" is often poor among healthcare professionals, and misidentification, terminology confusion, and uncertainty surrounding the care of frail older adults, are not uncommon. This lack of frailty literacy undoubtedly contributes to the suboptimal geriatric care patients receive. We therefore propose a rationally designed, concise, and structured program for eliciting medical students' motivation for understanding frailty during their undergraduate period. Our increasing-frailty-literacy program includes 7 modules, accommodating the terminology, integrative pathogenesis, epidemiology of frailty, appropriate screening and identification tool selection, prognostication and patient communication, and individualization of treatment strategies. In combination with digital technologies and hands-on practice opportunities, we believe that our curriculum can promote medical students' learning efficacy for frailty and improve geriatric care for the current generation.

Impact of frailty on mortality, hospitalization, cardiovascular events, and complications in patients with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Several studies have focused on the impact of frailty on the health outcomes of individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM). This meta-analysis aims to systematically synthesize the existing evidence on frailty and its association with mortality, hospitalizations, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetic complications in DM.

METHODS

A comprehensive search in PubMed, Embase, and SCOPUS was carried out to identify relevant studies assessing the impact of frailty on mortality, hospitalizations, complications, and cardiovascular events in individuals with DM. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the New Castle Ottawa Scale.

RESULTS

From the 22 studies included, our meta-analysis revealed significant associations between frailty and adverse outcomes in individuals with DM. The pooled hazard ratios for mortality and frailty showed a substantial effect size of 1.84 (95% CI 1.46-2.31). Similarly, the odds ratio for hospitalization and frailty demonstrated a significant risk with an effect size of 1.63 (95% CI 1.50-1.78). In addition, frailty was associated with an increased risk of developing diabetic nephropathy (HR, 3.17; 95% CI 1.16-8.68) and diabetic retinopathy (HR, 1.94; 95% CI 0.80-4.71).

CONCLUSION

Our results show a consistent link between frailty and increased mortality, heightened hospitalization rates, and higher risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetic nephropathy, and diabetic retinopathy for patients with DM. PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD42023485166.

Multidimensional frailty connection in older patients with diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) experience accelerated aging and, thus, a high prevalence of frailty. Our aim is to outline the type of frailty and prefrailty from a multidimensional perspective and the interaction of these dimensions in this scenery.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Observational study of patients with DM over 60 years-old. Variables related to nutrition, cognitive and emotional status, physical and instrumental functional capacity and social resources were collected. They were divided into three groups (robust, prefrail and frail) according to the Fried scale. Each of the variables in the groups were compared and a correspondence analysis was carried out to see the influence of some dimensions with others in each stage of frailty.

RESULTS

188 patients (mean age 72.6 + 7.5) were analysed. Of them, 105 patients had prefrailty and 66 were frail. With the exception of social resources, the rest of the variables had an increasing prevalence depending on the stage of frailty. However, in the correspondence analysis (with 22.9% of variation explained by two dimensions) it was only patients with frailty who were associated with worse functional capacity, cognitive and emotional situation and mild to moderate social incapacity.

CONCLUSIONS

In our sample there was a high prevalence of prefrailty, and frailty associated with an increase in the prevalence of other different dimensions except social resources. However, the interaction between these dimensions was only evident in the case of patients with frailty.

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.

Frailty, an Independent Risk Factor in Progression Trajectory of Cardiometabolic Multimorbidity: A Prospective Study of UK Biobank

BACKGROUND

Although frailty was associated with cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs, including coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes here), there was no systematic analyses estimating its role in incidence, progression, and prognosis of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM).

METHODS

We included 351 205 participants without CMDs at baseline in UK Biobank. Occurrences of first CMD, CMM, and death were recorded. We used multistate models to assess transition-specific role of baseline frailty measured by frailty phenotype and frailty index in CMM progression trajectory from no disease to single CMD, CMM, and death. Association between changes in frailty and outcomes was investigated among 17 264 participants.

RESULTS

Among 351 205 participants (44.0% male, mean age 56.55 years), 8 190 (2.3%) had frail phenotype, and 13 615 (3.9%) were moderate/severe frail according to the frailty index. During median follow-up of 13.11 years, 41 558 participants experienced ≥1 CMD, 4 952 had CMM, and 20 670 died. In multistate models, frail phenotype-related hazard ratios were 1.94 and 2.69 for transitions from no CMD to single disease and death, 1.63 and 1.67 for transitions from single CMD to CMM and death, and 1.57 for transitions from CMM to death (all p < .001). Consistent results were observed for frailty index. Improvement of frailty reduced the risk of CMD progression and death.

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty is an independent risk factor for all transitions of CMM progression trajectory. Frailty-targeted management is a potential strategy for primary and secondary prevention of CMM beyond chronological age.

Association of frailty index with congestive heart failure, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among individuals with type 2 diabetes: a study from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), 1999-2018

BACKGROUND

Both type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and frailty are strongly associated with congestive heart failure (CHF). Individuals with T2DM and CHF have a high frailty burden. The association of frailty with HF, all-cause, and cardiovascular mortality in patients with T2DM has not been thoroughly explored.

METHODS

This study included 2894 adults with T2DM from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database over ten cycles (1999-2018) and followed up for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality through 31 December 2019. The frailty index (FI) was calculated using a 46-item deficit model to assess frailty status. Weighted multivariable logistic regression was performed to explore the relationship between frailty and CHF in patients with T2DM. Weighted restricted cubic splines were used to evaluate the non-linear relationship between FI and outcome. All-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality association with FI was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier curve and COX proportional hazards regression accounting for sampling weights. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the robustness of the results.

RESULTS

After the adjustment of essential confounders, a higher frailty index in T2DM was associated with increased odds of CHF (odds ratio [OR] for per 1-SD increase, 2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.67-2.45; P < 0.0001). The presence of frailty T2DM (OR, 3.60; 95% CI 2.34-5.54; P < 0.0001) was associated with a significant increase in the prevalence of CHF compared to non-frailty T2DM in a fully adjusted model. During the median follow-up of 6.75 years, per 1-SD increase in FI was associated with a 41% higher risk of all-cause mortality and a 30% higher risk of cardiovascular mortality after being adjusted for all confounders. Similar results were observed when sensitivity analyses were performed. There was also a non-linear relationship between FI and all-cause mortality. In a weighted multivariate COX proportional model adjusted for full confounders, frailty T2DM increased all-cause (HR, 1.86; 95% CI 1.55-2.24; P < 0.0001) and cardiovascular (HR 1.66; 95% CI 1.18-2.33; P = 0.003) mortality and compared to non-frailty T2DM. The positive association of frailty index and all-cause mortality was only in participants without CHF. The positive association of frailty index and cardiovascular mortality was only in non-anti-diabetic drug users.

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty index in T2DM was positively associated with CHF in linear fashions. The Frailty index was positively correlated with all-cause and cardiovascular death in patients with T2DM. Frailty T2DM was positively associated with CHF, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular mortality compared to non-frailty T2DM. Promoting frailty measurement and management in T2DM may be beneficial to reduce the burden of CHF and mortality.

Predictive Strategies to Reduce the Risk of Rehospitalization with a Focus on Frail Older Adults: A Narrative Review

Frailty is a geriatric syndrome that has physical, cognitive, psychological, social, and environmental components and is characterized by a decrease in physiological reserves. Frailty is associated with several adverse health outcomes such as an increase in rehospitalization rates, falls, delirium, incontinence, dependency on daily living activities, morbidity, and mortality. Older adults may become frailer with each hospitalization; thus, it is beneficial to develop and implement preventive strategies. The present review aims to highlight the epidemiological importance of frailty in rehospitalization and to compile predictive strategies and related interventions to prevent hospitalizations. Firstly, it is important to identify pre-frail and frail older adults using an instrument with high validity and reliability, which can be a practically applicable screening tool. Comprehensive geriatric assessment-based care is an important strategy known to reduce morbidity, mortality, and rehospitalization in older adults and aims to meet the needs of frail patients with a multidisciplinary approach and intervention that includes physiological, psychological, and social domains. Moreover, effective multimorbidity management, physical activity, nutritional support, preventing cognitive frailty, avoiding polypharmacy and anticholinergic drug burden, immunization, social support, and reducing the caregiver burden are other recommended predictive strategies to prevent post-discharge rehospitalization in frail older adults.

Initiation of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists according to level of frailty in people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Denmark: a cross-sectional, nationwide study

BACKGROUND

Whether frailty influences the initiation of two cardioprotective diabetes drug therapies (ie, SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists) in people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease is unknown. We aimed to assess rates of initiation of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists according to frailty in people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

METHODS

For this cross-sectional, nationwide study, all people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Denmark between Jan 1, 2015, and Dec 31, 2021, from six Danish health-data registers were identified. People younger than 40 years, with end-stage renal disease, with registered contraindications to SGLT2 inhibitors or GLP-1 receptor agonists, or with previous use of either drug therapy were excluded. The Hospital Frailty Risk Score was used to categorise people as either non-frail, moderately frail, or severely frail. Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyse the association between frailty and initiation of an SGLT2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist.

FINDINGS

Of 119 390 people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, 103 790 were included. Median follow-up time was 4·5 years (IQR 2·7-6·1) and median age across the three frailty groups was 71 years (64-79). 65 959 (63·6%) of 103 790 people were male and 37 831 (36·5%) were female. At index date, 66 910 (64·5%) people were non-frail, 29 250 (28·2%) were moderately frail, and 7630 (7·4%) were severely frail. Frailty was associated with a significantly lower probability of initiating therapy with an SGLT2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist than in people who were non-frail (moderately frail hazard ratio 0·91, 95% CI 0·88-0·94, p<0·0001; severely frail 0·75, 0·70-0·80, p<0·0001). This association persisted after adjustment for age, sex, socioeconomic status, year of inclusion, duration of type 2 diabetes, duration of cardiovascular disease, polypharmacy, and comorbidity.

INTERPRETATION

In people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Denmark, frailty was associated with a significantly lower probability of SGLT2-inhibitor or GLP-1 receptor-agonist initiation, despite their benefits. Formulating clear and updated guidelines on the use of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists in people who are frail with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease should be a priority.

FUNDING

Department of Cardiology, Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital.

TRANSLATION

For the Danish translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

The Impact of Glucose-Lowering Strategy on the Risk of Increasing Frailty Severity among 49,519 Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have a higher risk of incident and aggravating frailty over time. Frailty-initiating risk factors have been identified, but modulators of frail severity over time remain poorly defined. We aimed to explore the influences of glucose-lowering drug (GLD) strategy on DM patients' risk of increasing frail severity. We retrospectively identified type 2 DM patients between 2008 and 2016, dividing them into "no GLD", oral GLD (oGLD) monotherapy, oGLD combination, and those receiving insulin without or with oGLD at baseline. Increasing frail severity, defined as ≥1 FRAIL component increase, was the outcome of interest. Cox proportional hazard regression was utilized to analyze the risk of increasing frail severity associated with GLD strategy, accounting for demographic, physical data, comorbidities, medication, and laboratory panel. After screening 82,208 patients with DM, 49,519 (no GLD, 42.7%; monotherapy, 24.0%; combination, 28.5%; and insulin user, 4.8%) were enrolled for analysis. After 4 years, 12,295 (24.8%) had increasing frail severity. After multivariate adjustment, oGLD combination group exhibited a significantly lower risk of increasing frail severity (hazard ratio (HR) 0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.86 - 0.94), while the risk of insulin users increased (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02 - 1.21) than no GLD group. Users receiving more oGLD exhibited a trend of less risk reduction relative to others. In conclusion, we discovered that the strategy of oral glucose lowering drugs combination might reduce the risk of frail severity increase. Accordingly, medication reconciliation in frail diabetic older adults should take into account their GLD regimens.

Cardiometabolic Disorders Are Important Correlates of Vulnerability in Hospitalized Older Adults

With an increasingly aging population worldwide, the concept of multimorbidity has attracted growing interest over recent years, especially in terms of frailty, which leads to progressive multisystem decline and increased adverse clinical outcomes. The relative contribution of multiple disorders to overall frailty index in older populations has not been established so far. This study aimed to assess the association between the vulnerable elders survey-13 (VES-13) score, which is acknowledged to be one of the most widely used measures of frailty, and the most common accompanying diseases amongst hospitalized adults aged 60 years old and more. A total of 2860 participants with an average age of 83 years were included in this study. Multiple logistic regression with adjustment for age and nutritional status was used to assess the independent impact of every particular disease on vulnerability. Diabetes mellitus type 2, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, osteoarthritis, fractures, eyes disorders, depression, dementia, pressure ulcers, and urinary incontinence were associated with higher scores of VES-13. Hospital admission of older subjects with those conditions should primarily draw attention to the risk of functional decline, especially while qualifying older patients for further treatment in surgery and oncology. At the same time, lipid disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, higher body mass index, and albumins level were related to a lower risk of being vulnerable, which may be attributed to a younger age and better nutritional status of those patients.

The Association Between Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) and All-Cause Mortality in Elderly Patients with Hip Fractures: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background

Red cell distribution width (RDW) may be related to the prognosis of hip fractures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between (RDW) and all-cause mortality in elderly hip fractures.

Materials and Methods

Elderly patients aged ≥65 years who had a hip fracture were screened between January 1, 2015, and September 30, 2019. The age, gender of patients and other demographics, as well as history of allergy, injury mechanism, underlying illnesses at the time of admission, fracture classification, time from admission to operation, RDW, operation time, blood loss, infusion, transfusion, treatment strategy, and length in hospital stay and follow-up and other clinical characteristics were collected. Linear and nonlinear multivariate Cox regression models were used to identify the association between RDW and mortality in these patients. Analyses were performed using EmpowerStats and the R software.

Results

A total of 2587 patients were included in this retrospective cohort study. The mean follow-up period was 38.92 months. A total of 873 (33.75%) patients died due to all-cause mortality. The RDW was linearly associated with mortality in elderly patients with hip fractures. Linear multivariate Cox regression models showed that RDW was associated with mortality (hazard ratio [HR]=1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.02-1.05, P < 0.0001) after adjusting for confounding factors. The mortality risk increased by 3% when RDW increased by 1 fL.

Conclusion

RDW is associated with mortality in elderly patients with hip fractures, and RDW could be considered a predictor of mortality risk.

Registration

ChiCTR2200057323.

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.

Clinical impacts of frailty on 123,172 people with diabetes mellitus considering the age of onset and drugs of choice: a nationwide population-based 10-year trajectory analysis

AIMS

Frailty substantially increased the risk of adverse clinical outcomes, which was also critical in diabetes management. This study aimed to investigate the interrelationships between the age of onset, frailty, anti-diabetic medications and clinical outcomes in people with diabetes mellitus (DM).

METHODS

A total of 123,172 people aged 40 years and older who were newly diagnosed with DM were identified and categorised into four frailty subgroups (robust, mild, moderate and severe) based on the multimorbidity frailty index (mFI). Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine associations between frailty and clinical outcomes at different ages of DM onsets (40-64, 65-74, 75-84 and 85+ years). Outcomes of interest included generic outcomes (mortality and unplanned hospitalisation) and DM-related outcomes (cardiovascular disease-related mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), diabetes-related hospitalisation and hypoglycaemia).

RESULTS

The proportion of frailty increased with age at diagnosis amongst people with incident DM and the mFI scores increased significantly during the 10-year follow-up. Amongst people with diabetes, those with mild, moderate and severe frailty were associated with greater risks of all-cause mortality (mild: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.69 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.60-1.80], P < 0.01; moderate: aHR 2.46 [2.29-2.65], P < 0.01; severe frailty: aHR 3.40 [3.16-3.65], P < 0.01) compared with the robust group. Similar results were found in unplanned hospitalisations, cardiovascular disease-related mortality, MACEs and hypoglycaemia.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study quantified the prevalence of frailty, captured its dynamic changes and examined its impacts on various clinical outcomes amongst people with diabetes at different ages at onset. Frailty assessment and management should be implemented into routine diabetes care.

Metabolic Characteristics of Frail Older People with Diabetes Mellitus-A Systematic Search for Phenotypes

Frailty in older people with diabetes is viewed as one homogeneous category. We previously suggested that frailty is not homogeneous and spans across a metabolic spectrum that starts with an anorexic malnourished (AM) frail phenotype and ends with a sarcopenic obese (SO) phenotype. We aimed to investigate the metabolic characteristics of frail older people with diabetes reported in the current literature to explore whether they fit into two distinctive metabolic phenotypes. We performed systematic review of studies published over the last 10 years and reported characteristics of frail older people with diabetes mellitus. A total of 25 studies were included in this systematic review. Fifteen studies reported frail patients' characteristics that could fit into an AM phenotype. This phenotype is characterised by low body weight, increased prevalence of malnutrition markers such as low serum albumin, low serum cholesterol, low Hb, low HbA1c, and increased risk of hypoglycaemia. Ten studies reported frail patients' characteristics that describe a SO phenotype. This phenotype is characterised by increased body weight, increased serum cholesterol, high HbA1c, and increased blood glucose levels. Due to significant weight loss in the AM phenotype, insulin resistance decreases, leading to a decelerated diabetes trajectory and reduced hypoglycaemic agent use or deintensification of therapy. On the other hand, in the SO phenotype, insulin resistance increases leading to accelerated diabetes trajectory and increased hypoglycaemic agent use or intensification of therapy. Current literature suggests that frailty is a metabolically heterogeneous condition that includes AM and SO phenotypes. Both phenotypes have metabolically distinctive features, which will have a different effect on diabetes trajectory. Therefore, clinical decision-making and future clinical studies should consider the metabolic heterogeneity of frailty.

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.

Extended-release metformin improves cognitive impairment in frail older women with hypertension and diabetes: preliminary results from the LEOPARDESS Study

BACKGROUND

Women have a high risk of frailty independently of age and menopause state. Diabetes and hypertension increase the risk of frailty and cognitive impairment. Metformin has been employed in post-menopausal women and some reports have shown encouraging effects in terms of attenuated frailty. However, the impact on cognitive performance of a recently introduced extended-release formulation of metformin has never been explored.

METHODS

We studied consecutive frail hypertensive and diabetic older women presenting at the ASL (local health authority of the Italian Ministry of Health) Avellino, Italy, from June 2021 to August 2022, who were treated or not with extended-release metformin. We included a control group of frail older males with diabetes and hypertension treated with extended-release metformin and a control group of frail older women with diabetes and hypertension treated with regular metformin.

RESULTS

A total of 145 patients successfully completed the study. At the end of the 6-month follow-up, we observed a significantly different cognitive performance compared to baseline in the group of frail women treated with extended-release metformin (p: 0.007). Then, we compared the follow-up groups and we observed significant differences between frail women treated vs. untreated (p: 0.041), between treated frail women and treated frail men (p: 0.016), and between women treated with extended-release metformin vs. women treated with regular metformin (p: 0.048). We confirmed the crucial role of extended-release metformin applying a multivariable logistic analysis to adjust for potential confounders.

CONCLUSIONS

We evidenced, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the favorable effects on cognitive impairment of extended-release metformin in frail women with diabetes and hypertension.

The association between frailty and incident cardiovascular disease events in community-dwelling healthy older adults

Study objective

This study examined the association between frailty and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and CVD-related mortality.

Design

Longitudinal cohort study.

Setting

The ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) clinical trial in Australia and the United States.

Participants

19,114 community-dwelling older adults (median age 74.0 years; 56.4 % females).

Interventions

Pre-frailty and frailty were assessed using a modified Fried phenotype and a deficit accumulation Frailty Index (FI) at baseline.

Main outcome measures

CVD was defined as a composite of CVD death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, and hospitalization for heart failure; MACE included all except heart failure. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyze the association between frailty and CVD outcomes over a median follow-up of 4.7 years.

Results

Baseline pre-frail and frail groups had a higher risk of incident CVD events (Hazard Ratio (HR): 1.31; 95 % Confidence Interval (CI): 1.14-1.50 for pre-frail and HR: 1.63; 95 % CI: 1.15-2.32 for frail) and MACE (pre-frail HR: 1.26; 95 % CI: 1.08-1.47 and frail HR: 1.51; 95 % CI: 1.00-2.29) than non-frail participants according to Fried phenotype after adjusting for traditional CVD risk factors. Effect sizes were similar or larger when frailty was assessed with FI; similar results for men and women.

Conclusion

Frailty increases the likelihood of developing CVD, including MACE, in community-dwelling older men and women without prior CVD events. Screening for frailty using Fried or FI method could help identify community-dwelling older adults without prior CVD events who are more likely to develop CVD, including MACE, and may facilitate targeted preventive measures to reduce their risk.

Vascular frailty, a proposal for new frailty type: A narrative review

Frailty is the incremental accumulation of minute defects that progressively impair health and performance. Frailty is commonly observed in older adults; however, secondary frailty may also occur in patients with metabolic disorders or major organ failure. In addition to physical frailty, several distinct types of frailty have been identified, including oral, cognitive, and social frailty, each of which is of practical importance. This nomenclature suggests that detailed descriptions of frailty can potentially advance relevant researches. In this narrative review, we first summarize the clinical value and plausible biological origin of frailty, as well as how to appropriately assess it using physical frailty phenotypes and frailty indexes. In the second part, we discuss the issue of vascular tissue as a relatively underappreciated organ whose pathologies contribute to the development of physical frailty. Moreover, when vascular tissue undergoes degeneration, it exhibits vulnerability to subtle injuries and manifests a unique phenotype amenable to clinical assessment prior to or accompanying physical frailty development. Finally, we propose that vascular frailty, based on an extensive set of experimental and clinical evidence, can be considered a new frailty type that requires our attention. We also outline potential methods for the operationalization of vascular frailty. Further studies are required to validate our claim and sharpen the spectrum of this degenerative phenotype.

Association of alcohol consumption and fatigue in SLE: A cross-sectional study from Lupus Registry of Nationwide Institution (LUNA) cohort

OBJECTIVE

Fatigue is one of the most common complaints and is a potentially modifiable issue in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Studies suggest that alcohol consumption has a protective effect against the development of SLE; however, an association between alcohol consumption and fatigue in patients with SLE has not been studied. Here, we assessed whether alcohol consumption was associated with fatigue using lupus patient-reported outcomes (LupusPRO).

METHODS

This cross-sectional study, conducted between 2018 and 2019, included 534 patients (median age, 45 years; 87.3% female) from 10 institutions in Japan. The main exposure was alcohol consumption, which was defined as the frequency of drinking [<1 day/month (none group), ≤1 day/week (moderate group), and ≥2 days/week (frequent group)]. The outcome measure was the Pain Vitality domain score in LupusPRO. Multiple regression analysis was performed as the primary analysis after adjusting for confounding factors, such as age, sex, and damage. Subsequently, the same analysis was performed as a sensitivity analysis after multiple imputations (MIs) for missing data (n = 580).

RESULTS

In total, 326 (61.0%) patients were categorized into the none group, 121 (22.7%) into the moderate group, and 87 (16.3%) into the frequent group. The frequent group was independently associated with less fatigue compared with none group [β = 5.98 (95% CI 0.19-11.76), p = 0.04], and the results did not substantially deviate after MI.

CONCLUSIONS

Frequent drinking was associated with less fatigue, which highlights the need for further longitudinal studies focusing on drinking habits in patients with SLE.

Individual frailty phenotype components and mortality in adults with type 2 diabetes: A UK Biobank study

AIMS

This study aimed to explore associations between frailty components and mortality and rank prognostic relevance of each frailty component in predicting mortality in adults with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D).

METHODS

We used data from the UK Biobank. Associations and prognostic discrimination of individual Fried's frailty components and the overall frailty status with all-cause and cardiovascular (CVD) mortality were investigated using Cox proportional-hazard models and C-index in adults with and without T2D.

RESULTS

In both populations the strongest association with all-cause mortality across all frailty components and overall frailty status was observed for slow walking pace (without T2D Hazard Ratio [HR] 2.25, 95 %CI: 2.12-2.38 and with T2D HR 1.95, 95 %CI: 1.67-2.28). Similarly, slow walking pace was associated with a greater risk of CVD mortality. The combination of T2D and slow walking pace had the strongest association with all-cause and CVD mortality, compared to the combination of T2D and other frailty components or overall frailty status. Slow walking pace also provided the greatest prognostic discrimination.

CONCLUSION

Slow walking pace has a stronger predictive factor for all-cause and CVD mortality compared to other frailty components and overall frailty status, especially when simultaneously present with T2D.

Frailty Index was Associated With Adverse Outcomes in Admitted Elderly Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

We aimed to investigate the role of the laboratory frailty index (LFI) in diabetic complications and incident disability in admitted older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We retrospectively collected the clinical data of older patients with T2DM from December 2018 to May 2020. Frailty was quantified using the LFI, which considers the accumulation of 27 items of abnormal laboratory outcomes. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between LFI and diabetes-related adverse outcomes. In total, 293 consecutive older patients with T2DM were recruited for this study. According to the predefined LFI criteria, 110 (37.5%) participants were non-frail, 131 (44.7%) were prefrail, and 52 (17.8%) were frail. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that LFI was associated with the diabetic microangiopathy complications (odds ratio for prefrail [ORprefrail] 1.760, 95% confidence interval for prefrail [CIprefrail] 1.019-3.041, P = .043; ORfrail 4.667, 95% CIfrail 2.012-10.826, P < .001) and activities of daily living (ADL) disability (ORprefrail 2.323, 95% CIprefrail 1.209-4.463, P = .011; ORfrail 9.367, 95% CIfrail 4.030-21.775, P < .001), but not with the diabetic macroangiopathy complications and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Frailty, as determined by the LFI, was proven to be an effective tool for the prediction of diabetic microangiopathy complications and ADL disability.

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.

Frailty is associated with the progression of prediabetes to diabetes and elevated risks of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in individuals with prediabetes and diabetes: Evidence from two prospective cohorts

AIMS

To investigate the impacts of frailty on the progression of prediabetes to diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in individuals with prediabetes and diabetes.

METHODS

7,933 subjects with prediabetes and diabetes were included from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Frailty status was assessed by frailty index and classified as robust, pre-frail, and frail. Logistic regression was used to calculate risks of progression to diabetes. Cox regression was used to calculate risks of CVD and all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

In prediabetes, frail subjects had significantly increased risks of progression to diabetes (CHARLS, OR = 1.55, 95 %CI: 1.09-2.20; ELSA, OR = 1.86, 95 %CI: 1.02-3.37) compared with robust subjects. Frail subjects with prediabetes also presented significantly increased risks of CVD (CHARLS: HR = 1.90, 95 %CI: 1.45-2.48; ELSA: HR = 1.94, 95 %CI: 1.31-2.88) and all-cause mortality (CHARLS: HR = 2.45, 95 %CI: 1.79-3.36; ELSA: HR = 2.13, 95 %CI: 1.46-3.10) than robust subjects with prediabetes. In diabetes, frailty still increased risks of CVD (CHARLS, HR = 2.72, 95 %CI: 1.97-3.77; ELSA, HR = 2.41, 95 %CI: 1.43-4.06) and all-cause mortality (CHARLS, HR = 2.28, 95 %CI: 1.56-3.33; ELSA, HR = 2.28, 95 %CI: 1.47-3.53).

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty is associated with the progression of prediabetes to diabetes and elevated risks of CVD and all-cause mortality in individuals with prediabetes and diabetes.

Multimorbidity, Frailty and Diabetes in Older People-Identifying Interrelationships and Outcomes

Multimorbidity and frailty are highly prevalent in older people with diabetes. This high prevalence is likely due to a combination of ageing and diabetes-related complications and other diabetes-associated comorbidities. Both multimorbidity and frailty are associated with a wide range of adverse outcomes in older people with diabetes, which are proportionally related to the number of morbidities and to the severity of frailty. Although, the multimorbidity pattern or cluster of morbidities that have the most adverse effect are not yet well defined, it appears that mental health disorders enhance the multimorbidity-related adverse outcomes. Therefore, comprehensive diabetes guidelines that incorporate a holistic approach that includes screening and management of mental health disorders such as depression is required. The adverse outcomes predicted by multimorbidity and frailty appear to be similar and include an increased risk of health care utilisation, disability and mortality. The differential effect of one condition on outcomes, independent of the other, still needs future exploration. In addition, prospective clinical trials are required to investigate whether interventions to reduce multimorbidity and frailty both separately and in combination would improve clinical outcomes.

Potential association between frailty and pTau in community-dwelling older adults

Background

Frailty is a geriatric syndrome characterized by a decline in physiological reserves, and multiple factors contribute to the occurrence and development of frailty. Growing evidence supports a strong link and overlap between frailty and cognitive impairment, but the mechanisms involved have not yet been fully elucidated.

Aim

To identify associations between 12 plasma cognition-related biomarkers and frailty in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods

A total of 375 participants (age 70.9 ± 5.8, 165 men and 210 women) were included in this study. Frailty was assessed using the modified Fried frailty phenotype. Participants were divided into not-frail group (n = 313) and frail group (n = 62). Twelve plasma cognitive biomarkers were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Multinomial logistic regression was used to explore the association between different biomarkers and frailty status.

Results

Among the 12 biomarkers, only pTau was higher in frail individuals than in their not-frail peers (471.3 ± 58.1 pg/mL vs. 451.9 ± 61.1 pg/mL, p = 0.022). No other biomarkers had any significant association with frailty, including total-Tau (tTau), neurofilament light (NFL), amyloid-β 40 (Aβ40), amyloid-β 40 (Aβ42), S100 calcium binding protein B (S100B), visinin-like protein 1 (VLP-1), Alzheimer-associated neuronal thread protein (AD7cNTP), β-amyloid precursor protein (βAPP), chitinase-3-like-1 (CHI3L1), soluble complement receptor 1 (sCR1) and heart-type fatty acid binding protein (hFABP). Furthermore, pTau was compared between negative and positive subject groups for each individual criterion of frailty. Significantly higher levels of pTau were observed in those who were positive for the criteria of low grip strength (451.2 ± 61.4 pg/mL vs. 469.1 ± 57.6 pg/mL, p = 0.019), exhaustion (451.2 ± 61.6 pg/mL vs. 466.4 ± 58.4 pg/mL, p = 0.035) and low physical activity (451.1 ± 60.7 pg/mL vs. 465.7 ± 60.7 pg/mL, p = 0.034) when compared to those who were negative for each corresponding criterion. Finally, in the multivariable-adjusted analysis, the association between pTau and frailty was statistically significantly associated (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.04–1.89), even after adjusting.

Conclusions

The present study found a potential association between pTau and frailty. Future works should monitor the longitudinal trajectory of changes of pTau concentrations in frailty older adults. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind will contribute to biomarker research in frailty.

Physical functioning, frailty and risks of locally-advanced breast cancer among older women

Objective

Women with multiple comorbidities have competing health needs that may delay screening for early detection of breast cancer. Our objective was to determine associations between physical functioning and frailty with risk of locally-advanced breast cancer (BC).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of women 65 years and older diagnosed with first primary stage I-III BC using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Medicare Health Outcome Survey Data Resource. Physical health-related quality of life was measured using Veterans RAND 12 Item Health Survey scales within two years before diagnosis; frailty was determined by calculating deficit-accumulation frailty index (DAFI) scores. Multivariable modified Poisson regression models were used to estimate rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for risk of locally-advanced (stage III) versus early-stage (I-II) BC.

Results

Among 2411 women with a median age of 75 years at BC diagnosis, 2189 (91%) were diagnosed with incident stage I-II BC and 222 (9%) were diagnosed at stage III. Compared to women with early-stage disease, women with locally-advanced BC had lower physical component scores (37.8 vs. 41.4) and more classified as pre-frail or frail (55% vs. 50%). In multivariable models, frailty was not associated with increased risk of locally-advanced disease. However, worse physical function subscale scores (lowest vs. upper quartile; RR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.04–2.34) were associated with risk of locally-advanced BC.

Conclusions

Breast cancer screening among non-frail older women should be personalized to include women with limited physical functioning if the benefits of screening and early detection outweigh the potential harms.

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Older women have competing health needs that may delay early detection of breast cancer.

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Women with locally-advanced disease had lower health-related quality of life prior to diagnosis.

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Worse physical functioning was associated with risk of locally-advanced breast cancer.

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.

Frailty as an Independent Risk Factor for Depression in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Depression confers substantial disease burden globally, especially among those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The presence of depression significantly impairs one's quality of life. Risk factors for depression in patients with CKD remain under-appreciated, and whether frailty, a geriatric phenotype, constitutes a risk factor for depression in this population is unknown.

Methods

We prospectively enrolled patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis for >3 months from National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch between 2019 and 2021. Clinical, physical, functional, and performance parameters were recorded, followed by frailty/sarcopenia assessment. Depression was screened for using the Geriatric Depression Scale. We analyzed the independent relationship between frailty and depression in these patients, using multiple regression analyses.

Results

Totally 151 patients with ESRD were enrolled (mean 61.1 years, 66.9% male), among whom 16.6% had screening-identified depression. ESRD participants with depression did not differ from those without regarding most parameters except serum creatinine, functional indices, and sarcopenia/frailty status. We found that having greater frail severities was independently associated with a higher probability of depression; having FRAIL- (odds ratio [OR] 5.418) and SOF-based (OR 2.858) frailty independently correlated with a higher depression probability. A linear relation exists between a greater frail severity and the probability of depression. Using a more relaxed criterion for detecting depression, higher SOF scores remained significantly associated with an increased depression risk.

Conclusions

In patients with CKD, frailty independently correlated with a higher probability of having depression. Strategies aiming to attenuate frailty may be able to benefit those with depression simultaneously in this population.

Effects of a nurse-led multicomponent intervention for frail older adults living alone in a community: a quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Given the rapid aging of the population in Korea, efforts to slow down or prevent frailty, to support the health of older adults, should be an important public health priority. This may allow them to continue living within the community by keeping their functional independence for as long as possible. This study aimed to evaluate the nurse-led multicomponent intervention for community-dwelling pre-frail or frail elderly on physical and psychosocial outcomes.

METHOD

A non-equivalent control pre-, post-, and follow-up test design was used with a sample of 126 prefrail or frail older adults (62 in the experimental and 64 in the control group). The 12-week multicomponent intervention for the experimental group comprised physical exercise, cognitive training, and nutrition and disease management education. Outcome variables (Timed Up and Go Test results and measures of frailty, handgrip strength, depression, social activity, and social support) were measured both pre- and post-intervention, and after the 12-week follow-up period.

RESULTS

For each group, we assessed the significant interaction of time with frailty, depression, social activity, and social support, as well as Timed Up and Go Test results. In the experimental group, levels of depression decreased while levels of social support and social activity increased from each measurement period to the next, within the 12-month study period; those in the control group were relatively stable over time.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that nurse-led multicomponent intervention was effective for improving physical and psychosocial function of the (pre)frail older adults living alone in Korea, suggesting that older adults can take proactive roles in conducting their daily life and managing their health. A strategy for disseminating widely sustainable nurse-led multicomponent interventions should be developed for community-dwelling frail elderly who live alone.

A higher non-severe hypoglycaemia rate is associated with an increased risk of subsequent severe hypoglycaemia and major adverse cardiovascular events in individuals with type 2 diabetes in the LEADER study

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Hypoglycaemia is a common side effect of insulin and some other antihyperglycaemic agents used to treat diabetes. Severe hypoglycaemia has been associated with adverse cardiovascular events in trials of intensive glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes. The relationship between non-severe hypoglycaemic episodes (NSHEs) and severe hypoglycaemia in type 2 diabetes has been documented. However, an association between more frequent NSHEs and cardiovascular events has not been verified. This post hoc analysis of the LEADER (Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcome Results) trial aimed to confirm whether there is an association between NSHEs and severe hypoglycaemic episodes in individuals with type 2 diabetes. In addition, the possible association between NSHEs and major adverse cardiac events (MACE), cardiovascular death and all-cause mortality was investigated.

METHODS

LEADER was a double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled trial that found that liraglutide significantly reduced the risk of MACE compared with the placebo. In this post hoc analysis, we explored, in all LEADER participants, whether the annual rate of NSHEs (defined as self-measured plasma glucose <3.1 mmol/l [56 mg/dl]) was associated with time to first severe hypoglycaemic episode (defined as an episode requiring the assistance of another person), time to first MACE, time to cardiovascular death and time to all-cause mortality. Participants with <2 NSHEs per year were used as reference for HR estimates. Cox regression with a time-varying covariate was used.

RESULTS

We demonstrate that there is an association between NSHEs (2-11 NSHEs per year and ≥12 NSHEs per year) and severe hypoglycaemic episodes (unadjusted HRs 1.98 [95% CI 1.43, 2.75] and 5.01 [95% CI 2.84, 8.84], respectively), which was consistent when baseline characteristics were accounted for. Additionally, while no association was found between participants with 2-11 NSHEs per year and adverse cardiovascular outcomes, higher rates of NSHEs (≥12 episodes per year) were associated with higher risk of MACE (HR 1.50 [95% CI 1.01, 2.23]), cardiovascular death (HR 2.08 [95% CI 1.17, 3.70]) and overall death (HR 1.80 [95% CI 1.11, 2.92]).

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

The analysis of data from the LEADER trial demonstrated that higher rates of NSHEs were associated with both a higher risk of severe hypoglycaemia and adverse cardiovascular outcomes in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, irrespective of the cause of this association, it is important that individuals with high rates of hypoglycaemia are identified so that the potentially increased risk of cardiovascular events can be managed and steps can be taken to reduce NSHEs.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01179048).