What are the illnesses associated with frailty in community-dwelling older adults: the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study

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.

Association between chronic respiratory diseases and frailty in Chinese elderly: a population-based longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) have been shown to be associated with frailty, but these findings have not yet reached a consensus. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between CRDs and frailty in the elderly using a nationally representative data from China.

METHODS

Data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were analysed, including 3309 frailty-free participants followed for three waves from 2011. Frailty was assessed using the physical frailty phenotype scale, and CRDs were conformed by self-reported physician diagnoses. Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the association between baseline CRDs and subsequent frailty.

RESULTS

Among participants (mean age 67.07 years, 51.53% male), 497 (15.02%) had CRDs. During a mean follow-up of 46 months, 273 (8.25%) participants developed frailty. The incidence rate of frailty was significantly higher in the CRDs group (37.17% per 1000 person-years vs 18.41% per 1000 person-years, p<0.01). Adjusted for covariables, participants with CRDs had a 44% higher risk of developing frailty (HR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.91). Specifically, asthma only (HR=1.89, 95% CI: 1.07 to 3.33) and asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap (ACO) (HR=1.79, 95% CI: 1.19 to 2.69) were associated with a higher risk of frailty among the elderly, while COPD only was not (HR=1.11, 95% CI: 0.73 to 1.65).

CONCLUSION

This study shows a significant association between CRDs, particularly asthma only and ACO, and frailty in the elderly. We need to pay attention to the frailty status of CRDs patients and consider routine screening among them in both clinical practice and community settings. Active treatment and control of CRDs are necessary to avoid frailty caused by primary lung disease progression or exacerbation.

The causal association between asthma and the risk of frailty: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

The correlation between asthma and frailty is increasingly garnering attention. The association between asthma and frailty remains inconclusive in observational studies, and the causality of this relationship still needs to be established.

AIMS

Therefore, we employed two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses using genetic instruments to determine the causal association of asthma on frailty.

METHODS

Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were performed to assess the causal effect of asthma on frailty. The genetic variants strongly associated with asthma (P < 5E-08) during the discovery and replication stages were derived from a recent meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) (N = 408,442) in the UK Biobank and a GWAS in the FinnGen Consortium (N = 217,421), respectively. Summary statistics of the frailty index (N = 175,226) are derived from the latest released GWAS dataset on frailty index. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was employed as the primary approach for calculating estimated values, with additional sensitivity analyses and heterogeneity analyses utilized to further validate the results.

RESULTS

Using the IVW method, genetic susceptibility to asthma was associated with an increased risk of frailty in the discovery stage (odds ratio [OR] = 1.092, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.075-1.109, P = 5.00E-28), which was also validated in the replication stage (OR = 1.073, 95% CI = 1.052-1.096, P = 1.41E-11). Sensitivity analyses yielded consistent causal estimate, and no significant pleiotropy was found throughout the MR study.

CONCLUSION

The present study demonstrated that asthma is causally associated with an elevated risk of frailty. Further studies are needed to elucidate the potential pathophysiological mechanisms between asthma and frailty.

Frailty assessment of older patients in the emergency department

An ageing population is leading to an increase in patients attending emergency departments (EDs) with comorbidities and age-related syndromes such as frailty. Frailty is a clinical syndrome defined as an increased vulnerability to age-related or disease-related insults in older adults due to diminishing physiological reserves. It also places increased demands on staff and hospital services. Screening for frailty early in the care pathway ensures goal-directed and timely care. This article provides an overview of frailty and its assessment in older people presenting to the ED. It discusses the most commonly used frailty assessment tool in the ED, the Clinical Frailty Scale, and identifies that the results of frailty assessment should be used to initiate appropriate individualised care in older patients.

The causal relationship between risk of developing bronchial asthma and frailty: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Background

A potential link between asthma and frailty has been suggested in previous studies. However, the nature of the causal relationship between these two conditions warrants further investigation. Therefore, this study assessed the bidirectional causality between asthma and frailty risk using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR).

Methods

The study data were obtained from the genome-wide association study (GWAS) dataset, with 337,159 samples representing asthma data and 175,226 samples representing frailty. The causal relationship between the two disorders was assessed by selecting the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), significantly associated with both asthma and frailty. The inverse variance weighting (IVW) method was used as the main analytical method to estimate the possible influence of causality. Sensitivity analysis was also performed using Mr-Egger intercept, funnel plot, "leave-one-out," and Cochran Q test. In addition, potential mediators were investigated by risk factor analysis.

Result

The IVW method showed an increased risk of frailty due to increased genetic susceptibility factors and the number of to asthma (OR = 2.325, 95%CI:1.958-2.761; p = 6.527498e-22), while no horizontal pleiotropy was observed for the Mr-Egger intercept (p = 0.609) and the funnel plot. The Cochran Q value was 72.858, p = 0.024, and there was heterogeneity in the Cochran Q-value. No single SNP was observed for "leave-one-out" that had a biasing effect on the instrumental variables. In addition, genetic susceptibility to frailty was associated with asthma (OR = 1.088, 95%CI:1.058-1.119; p = 4.815589e-09). In the causal relationship described above, several risk factors for frailty are complex, with asthma leading to a significant reduction in physical activity endurance.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest a probable positive causal effect of asthma on the risk of developing frailty, potentially mediated by reduced physical activity endurance. At the same time, a causal relationship exists between frailty and asthma. Therefore, assessment strategies for frailty should include asthma and vice versa.

Impact of frailty on mortality and healthcare costs and utilization among older adults in South Korea

Frailty has become increasingly relevant in a rapidly aging society, highlighting the need for its accurate identification and exploring associated clinical outcomes. Using a multidimensional framework to estimate frailty in a sample of community dwelling older adults, its effect on mortality, incurred healthcare costs and utilization were investigated. We obtained data from the 2008-2018 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). After excluding individuals aged < 65 years and those with missing data, a total of 3578 participants were included in our study. Cox proportional hazard analysis was conducted to investigate the impact of frailty on all-cause mortality by generating hazard ratios (HRs) and population attributable risks (PARs). Healthcare utilization and out-of-pocket costs incurred by frailty were examined using the Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM). Subgroup analyses were conducted according to frailty components. Among 3578 older adults, 1052 individuals died during a 10-year follow up period. Compared to the low risk frailty group, the moderate risk group (HR: 1.52, 95% CI:1.37-1.69) and severe risk group (HR: 3.10, 95% CI: 2.55-3.77) had higher risks for all-cause mortality. 27.4% (95% CI: 19.0-35.3%) of all-cause mortality was attributable to frailty, and the PARs ranged from 0.5 to 22.6% for individual frailty components. Increasing frailty levels incurred higher total healthcare costs and cost per utilization, including inpatient and outpatient costs. Frailty also increased likelihood of inpatient use, longer length of stay and more frequent outpatient visits. Among the frailty components, Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) in particular were linked to elevated mortality, higher incurred healthcare costs and utilization. Frailty-tailored interventions are of utmost relevance to policy makers and primary caregivers as frailty threatens the ability to maintain independent living and increases risk of detrimental outcomes such as mortality and increased utilization and out-of-pocket costs of healthcare in older adults.

Prevalence and Related Factors of Lower Urinary Tract Infection in Frail Older Adults Undergoing Major Noncardiac Surgery

Urinary tract infections are the most common complication after surgery in older adults, resulting in poor operative outcomes and reduced quality of life after discharge. However, there is limited research investigating the relationships between urinary tract infection and associated factors in frail older surgical patients, particularly in Thailand. This retrospective study included 220 frail older patients aged ≥ 60 years who had undergone major noncardiac surgery at a tertiary care hospital in Thailand from January 2015 to December 2019. The sample was recruited using the criteria indicated in the modified Frailty Index-11 and having the blood glucose level determined within 2 h before surgery. The prevalence of lower urinary tract infections was 15% post-surgery. Firth's logistic regression analysis revealed that the equation could predict the accuracy of lower urinary tract infections by 88.5%. Frailty, blood glucose levels, complication during admission, and personal factors together predicted the variability of lower urinary tract infections. Adjusting for other variables, being an older adult with severe frailty and complications during hospital admission significantly increased the risk of developing lower urinary tract infections (odds ratio = 3.46, p < 0.05; odds ratio = 9.53, p < 0.001, respectively).

Nutritional and physical activity issues in frailty syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic

'Frailty' has been described as 'a state of increased vulnerability of the individual caused by an impairment of homeostasis as a result of endogenous or exogenous stress'. Frail individuals are depicted by a dramatic change in health status following an apparently minor insult and a higher risk of adverse health-related outcomes such as osteoporosis and sarcopenia, falls and disability, and fragility fractures. Frailty is a condition of increasing importance due to the global ageing of the population during the last decades. Central to the pathophysiology of frailty is a mechanism that is partially independent of ageing, but most likely evolves with ageing: the cumulative level of molecular and cellular damage in every subject. Furthermore, an uncorrected nutrition and a sedentary behaviour play a pivotal role in worsening the syndrome. In January 2020, a cluster of a genus of the family Coronaviridae was isolated as the pathogen of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Since then, this infection has spread worldwide causing one of the most dramatic pandemics of the modern era, with more than 500 million confirmed cases all over the world. The clinical spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 severity ranges from asymptomatic conditions to mild symptoms, such as fever, cough, ageusia, anosmia and asthenia, up to most severe conditions, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multi-organ failure leading to death. Primary evidence revealed that the elderly frail subjects were more susceptible to the disease in its most intense form and were at greater risk of developing severe COVID-19. Factors contributing to the severity of COVID-19, and the higher mortality rate, are a poor immune system activity and long-standing inflammatory status of the frail subjects compared with the general population. Further recent research also suggested a potential role of sedentary behaviour, metabolic chronic disorders linked to it and uncorrected nutritional status. Thus, the aim of this review was to evaluate the different studies and evidence related to COVID-19 pandemic, both nutritional status and physical activity, and, also, to provide further information on the correct nutritional approach in this peculiar pathological condition.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence, trajectories, and clinical outcomes for frailty in COPD

This systematic review synthesised measurement and prevalence of frailty in COPD and associations between frailty and adverse health outcomes. We searched Medline, Embase and Web of Science (1 January 2001-8 September 2021) for observational studies in adults with COPD assessing frailty prevalence, trajectories, or association with health-related outcomes. We performed narrative synthesis and random-effects meta-analyses. We found 53 eligible studies using 11 different frailty measures. Most common were frailty phenotype (n = 32), frailty index (n = 5) and Kihon checklist (n = 4). Prevalence estimates varied by frailty definitions, setting, and age (2.6-80.9%). Frailty was associated with mortality (5/7 studies), COPD exacerbation (7/11), hospitalisation (3/4), airflow obstruction (11/14), dyspnoea (15/16), COPD severity (10/12), poorer quality of life (3/4) and disability (1/1). In conclusion, frailty is a common among people with COPD and associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes. Proactive identification of frailty may aid risk stratification and identify candidates for targeted intervention.

Frailty: an overview of concepts, risk factors, assessment tools and interventions

Frailty is a distinctive health state and a life-limiting syndrome seen in older people and in those living with multiple long-term conditions. It is likely that every nurse will encounter patients living with frailty in their clinical practice, even more so if they work in older people's nursing. People living with frailty are more vulnerable than others to stressors and insults due to a decline in their physiological reserve and function. There are tools that can be used to assess people's frailty or risk of frailty and interventions that can be used to prevent or reduce frailty. This article describes frailty and explains how to assess, prevent and reduce it. The article also outlines the relationship between frailty and coronavirus disease 2019 and the frailty trajectory at the end of life.

Frailty and chronic respiratory disease: the need for a multidisciplinary care model

Background.

Frailty is a state of increased vulnerability to various health stressors but little information is summarized about frailty in patients with specific chronic respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and asthma.

Objective.

We aimed to describe the burden of frailty on patients with chronic respiratory disorders and to discuss the need for multidisciplinary care services.

Methods.

PubMed and Cochrane Central databases were systematically reviewed for studies reporting outcomes associated with frailty in COPD, IPF, and asthma. Electronic databases were searched for relevant articles published in English from 2010 up to July 2020. Appraisal was carried out based on the Hierarchy of Evidence Rating System and the GRADE guidelines.

Results.

A total of 31 articles met all inclusion criteria with 24 of them at level IV, 1 at level V, and 6 at level VI. Frailty is likely to negatively affect quality of life and to increase the risk of mortality, especially in elderly with COPD, IPF and asthma. Each disease has a particular effect on the balance between health status, respiratory impairment and frailty. A greater understanding of frailty phenotype across different ages, as well as in a range of long-term conditions, is of great necessity in both clinical and research settings. Limited conformity was observed between different methodologies and nature of chronic diseases studied, leading to a further difficulty to extract homogeneous information.

Conclusion.

Literature shows that frailty is prevalent in COPD, IPF, and asthma, after adjusting for shared risk factors. Our findings suggest that frailty should be approached as an entity per se’, in order to assess real mortality risk, alongside respiratory disease severity and the presence of comorbidities. Health care professionals need knowledge, skills and multidisciplinary collaboration to buffer the impact of frailty on everyday practice.

Validity of the Clinical Frailty Scale in Korean older patients at a geriatric clinic

BACKGROUND/AIMS

We aimed to assess the validity of the Korean translated version of the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) in determining the frailty status in geriatric outpatients.

METHODS

The records of 123 ambulatory outpatients who had undergone CFS and comprehensive geriatric assessments (CGAs) including measurements for the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) frailty scale and the frailty index (CGA-FI) were analyzed. Correlations between CFS, CHS frailty scale, and CGA-FI were assessed. The ability of CFS to classify frailty status was calculated using the CHS frailty scale and CGA-FI as references.

RESULTS

The mean CFS score was 3.2 in the study population, with a mean age of 77.49 years (45.5% men). Individuals with higher CFS scores were older, had a greater burden of chronic diseases, and worse daily functions and cognitive performance. CFS scores positively correlated with CGA-FI (B = 0.78, p < 0.001) and CHS frailty scale (B = 0.67, p < 0.001) scores. For CFS, C-statistics to classify frailty by CGA-FI and CHS scale were 0.905 and 0.826, respectively. The cut-off value of CFS ≥ 4 maximized Youden's J to classify frailty by both the CHS scale and CGAFI.

CONCLUSION

The CFS is a valid screening tool to assess the frailty status in outpatients of a geriatric clinic in Korea. As a simple and quick measure, the CFS may facilitate frailty assessments in real-world clinical practice.

Diagnosis and Management of Frailty in Primary Health Care

Disability in older adults has become a significant burden, both individually and socially, due to the rapidly aging population in Korea. It is important to manage both frailty and chronic diseases to delay disability. Frailty, which is considered to be a transition phase between healthy status and disability, is defined as a significant decline in functional reserves of multiple organ systems and the resultant extreme vulnerability to stressors, leading to a higher risk of adverse health-related outcomes. The frailty phenotype and frailty index are the most commonly used methods to diagnose frailty. Frailty is related to physical, psychological, cognitive, and social dysfunction, and is sometimes caused by chronic disease. Therefore, primary care providers are ideally situated to incorporate the concept of frailty into their practice, as they are champions in comprehensive care. Although the identification and treatment of frailty is not yet standard practice in primary care, primary care physicians must use the electronic frailty index to identify frailty in all the patients aged ≥65 years in the United Kingdom. In Canada, some insurance companies and governments are using a similar program, which is called the Community Actions and Resources Empowering Seniors model. The clinical practice guidelines of the International Conference of Frailty and Sarcopenia Research, as well as some additional references, will be introduced. Here, we review the current literature on how to diagnose and manage frailty in primary care.