Multiple Physical Symptoms of Community-Dwelling Older People in Western China: Prevalence and Its Association with Frailty

Gerontology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Shuli Jia ◽  
Wanyu Zhao ◽  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Lisha Hou ◽  
Xin Xia ◽  
...  

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Physical symptoms and frailty are common in older adults. A previous study has reported that multiple somatic symptoms are associated with frailty. In this study, we aimed to describe the picture of physical symptoms in older adults in western China and examine the relationship of multiple physical symptoms and frailty, as well as the sex difference of this relationship. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Cross-sectional analyses were based on the West China Health and Aging Trend (WCHAT) study comprising 4,106 community-dwelling older adults (60–95 years). Frailty was assessed using the physical frailty phenotype (PFP). Participants’ experience of 28 different physical symptoms in the past 4 weeks was assessed. Physical symptoms were divided into several categories according to organ systems. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between frailty and multiple physical symptoms. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Nearly half of the subjects reported experiencing at least 1 physical symptom during the past 4 weeks. Musculoskeletal symptoms were the most prevalent symptoms. More than 5 physical symptoms were more likely to be frailty, even when all covariates were controlled. A significant association between multiple musculoskeletal symptoms and frailty also was found after adjusted for all covariates and multiple symptoms of other organ systems. Similar results were obtained for multiple cardiopulmonary symptoms. Furthermore, there were sex differences in these relationships. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Multiple physical symptoms appear to have a detrimental impact on frailty in older adults. Compared with counting total symptoms, multiple symptoms of the same organ system may have a greater impact on frailty. Effective interventions and management of multiple physical symptoms are warranted to prevent frailty.

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Roberta De Oliveira Máximo ◽  
Ingrid Cristina Lopes ◽  
Allan Gustavo Brigola ◽  
Bruna Moretti Luchesi ◽  
Aline Cristina Martins Gratão ◽  
...  

INTRODUCTION: Providing care to an older adult is an activity that requires considerable physical effort and can cause stress and psychological strain, which accentuate factors that trigger the cycle of frailty, especially when the caregiver is also an older adult. However, few studies have analyzed the frailty process in older caregivers. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of pre-frailty, frailty and associated factors in older caregivers of older adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted including 328 community-dwelling older caregivers. Frailty was identified using frailty phenotype. Socio-demographic, behavioral and clinical aspects, characteristics related to care and functioning were covariables in the multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty were 58.8% and 21.1%, respectively. An increased age, female sex, not having a conjugal life, depressive symptoms and pain were commonly associated with pre-frailty and frailty. Sedentary lifestyle was exclusively associated with pre-frailty, whereas living in an urban area, low income and the cognitive decline were associated with frailty. A better performance on instrumental activities of daily living reduced the chance of frailty. CONCLUSION: Many factors associated with the frailty syndrome may be related to the act of providing care, which emphasizes the importance of the development of coping strategies for this population.


Author(s):  
Alisson Fernandes Bolina ◽  
Rosalina Aparecida Partezani Rodrigues ◽  
Darlene Mara dos Santos Tavares ◽  
Vanderlei José Haas

ABSTRACT Objective: To verify the occurrence and factors associated to social, individual and programmatic vulnerability among older adults. Method: A household and cross-sectional survey conducted with 701 community-dwelling older adults. For evaluation of the individual component, we used the frailty phenotype; for the social component, the social vulnerability index was implemented; and for the programmatic component, the Index of access and use of health services. Descriptive and bivariate statistical analyzes and multinomial logistic regression were also carried out (p≤ 0.05). Results: It was verified that 15.7% of the older adults lived in areas of high social vulnerability, 31.8% were physically frail and had a moderate programmatic vulnerability score. Older people of a lower age, having lower education and income levels were more likely to live in areas of high or very high social vulnerability. The female gender and the high age groups increased the chances of the frailty condition. It was also observed that the older adults in the 70├ 80-year age group and having lower education were more likely to have medium programmatic vulnerability. Conclusion: The importance of primary care professionals to consider the multidimensional aspect of vulnerability in identifying older adults who need to be prioritized in health care is evidenced.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (16) ◽  
pp. 3576
Author(s):  
Encarnación Blanco-Reina ◽  
Lorena Aguilar-Cano ◽  
María Rosa García-Merino ◽  
Ricardo Ocaña-Riola ◽  
Jenifer Valdellós ◽  
...  

Frailty is an age-related clinical condition that typically involves a deterioration in the physiological capacity of various organ systems and heightens the patient’s susceptibility to stressors. For this reason, one of the main research goals currently being addressed is that of characterising the impact of frailty in different settings. The main aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Fried’s frailty phenotype among community-dwelling older people and to analyse the factors associated with frailty. In this research study, 582 persons aged 65 years or more participated in this cross-sectional study that was conducted at primary healthcare centres in Málaga, Spain. Sociodemographic, clinical, functional and comprehensive drug therapy data were compiled. The relationship between the independent variables and the different states of frailty was analysed by using a multinomial logistic regression model. Frailty was present in 24.1% of the study sample (95% CI = 20.7–27.6) of whom 54.3% were found to be pre-frail and 21.6% were non-frail. The study variable most strongly associated with frailty was the female gender (OR = 20.54, 95% CI = 9.10–46.3). Other factors found to be associated with the state of frailty included age, dependence for the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), polymedication, osteoarticular pathology and psychopathology. This study confirms the high prevalence of frailty among community-dwelling older people. Frailty may be associated with many factors. Some of these associated factors may be preventable or modifiable and, thus, provide clinically relevant targets for intervention. This is particularly the case for depressive symptoms, the clinical control of osteoarthritis and the use of polypharmacy.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 2151
Author(s):  
Berna Rahi ◽  
Hermine Pellay ◽  
Virginie Chuy ◽  
Catherine Helmer ◽  
Cecilia Samieri ◽  
...  

Dairy products (DP) are part of a food group that may contribute to the prevention of physical frailty. We aimed to investigate DP exposure, including total DP, milk, fresh DP and cheese, and their cross-sectional and prospective associations with physical frailty in community-dwelling older adults. The cross-sectional analysis was carried out on 1490 participants from the Three-City Bordeaux cohort. The 10-year frailty risk was examined in 823 initially non-frail participants. A food frequency questionnaire was used to assess DP exposure. Physical frailty was defined as the presence of at least 3 out of 5 criteria of the frailty phenotype: weight loss, exhaustion, slowness, weakness, and low physical activity. Among others, diet quality and protein intake were considered as confounders. The baseline mean age of participants was 74.1 y and 61% were females. Frailty prevalence and incidence were 4.2% and 18.2%, respectively. No significant associations were observed between consumption of total DP or DP sub-types and frailty prevalence or incidence (OR = 1.40, 95%CI 0.65–3.01 and OR = 1.75, 95%CI 0.42–1.32, for a total DP consumption >4 times/d, respectively). Despite the absence of beneficial associations of higher DP consumption on frailty, older adults are encouraged to follow the national recommendations regarding DP.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e049926
Author(s):  
Sandra Angelika Mümken ◽  
Paul Gellert ◽  
Malte Stollwerck ◽  
Julie Lorraine O'Sullivan ◽  
Joern Kiselev

ObjectivesTo develop a German version of the original University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging Life-Space Assessment (LSA-D) for measurement of community mobility in older adults within the past 4 weeks and to evaluate its construct validity for urban and rural populations of older adults.DesignCross-sectional validation study.SettingTwo study centres in urban and rural German outpatient hospital settings.ParticipantsIn total, N=83 community-dwelling older adults were recruited (n=40 from urban and n=43 from rural areas; mean age was 78.5 years (SD=5.4); 49.4% men).Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe final version of the translated LSA-D was related to limitations in activities and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL/iADL) as primary outcome measure (primary hypothesis); and with sociodemographic factors, functional mobility, self-rated health, balance confidence and history of falls as secondary outcome measures to obtain construct validity. Further descriptive measurements of health included hand grip strength, screening of cognitive function, comorbidities and use of transportation. To assess construct validity, correlations between LSA-D and the primary and secondary outcome measures were examined for the total sample, and urban and rural subsamples using bivariate regression and multiple adjusted regression models. Descriptive analyses of LSA-D included different scoring methods for each region. All parameters were estimated using non-parametric bootstrapping procedure.ResultsIn the multiple adjusted model for the total sample, number of ADL/iADL limitations (β=−0.26; 95% CI=−0.42 to −0.08), Timed Up and Go Test (β=−0.37; 95% CI=−0.68 to −0.14), shared living arrangements (β=0.22; 95% CI=0.01 to 0.44) and history of falls in the past 6 months (β=−0.22; 95% CI=−0.41 to −0.05) showed significant associations with the LSA-D composite score, while living in urban area (β=−0.19; 95% CI=−0.42 to 0.03) and male gender (β=0.15; 95% CI=−0.04 to 0.35) were not significant.ConclusionThe LSA-D is a valid tool for measuring life-space mobility in German community-dwelling older adults within the past 4 weeks in ambulant urban and rural settings.Trial registration numberDRKS00019023.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Bimou ◽  
Michel Harel ◽  
Cécile Laubarie-Mouret ◽  
Noëlle Cardinaud ◽  
Marion Charenton-Blavignac ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Independence is related to the aging process. Loss of independence is defined as the inability to make decisions and participate in activities of daily living (ADLs). Independence is related to physical, psychological, biological, and socioeconomic factors. An enhanced understanding of older people’s independence trajectories and associated risk factors would enable the develop early intervention strategies. Methods Independence trajectory analysis was performed on patients identified in the Unité de Prévention de Suivi et d’Analyse du Vieillissement (UPSAV) database. UPSAV cohort is a prospective observational study. Participants were 221 community-dwelling persons aged ≥75 years followed for 24 months between July 2011–November 2013 and benefits from a prevention strategy. Data were collected prospectively using a questionnaire. Independence was assessed using the “Functional Autonomy Measurement System (Système de Mesure de l’Autonomie Fonctionnelle (SMAF))”. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was performed to identify independence trajectories, and the results were compared with those of k-means and hierarchical ascending classifications. A multinomial logistic regression was performed to identify predictive factors of the independence trajectory. Results Three distinct trajectories of independence were identified including a “Stable functional autonomy (SFA) trajectory” (53% of patients), a “Stable then decline functional autonomy decline (SDFA) trajectory” (33% of patients) and a “Constantly functional autonomy decline (CFAD) trajectory” (14% of patients). Not being a member of an association, and previous fall were significantly associated of a SDFA trajectory (P < 0.01). Absence of financial and human assistance, no hobbies, and cognitive disorder were significantly associated with a CFAD trajectory (P < 0.01). Previous occupation and multiple pathologies were predictive factors of both declining trajectories SDFA and CFAD. Conclusions Community-living older persons exhibit distinct independence trajectories and the predictive factors. The evidence from this study suggests that the prevention and screening for the loss of independence of the older adults should be anticipated to maintaining autonomy.


Author(s):  
Heeeun Jung ◽  
Miji Kim ◽  
Yunhwan Lee ◽  
Chang Won Won

Frailty is defined as a state of increased vulnerability to stressors, and it predicts the disability and mortality in the older population. This study aimed to investigate standardized prevalence and multidimensional risk factors associated with frailty among the Korean community-dwelling older adults. We analyzed the baseline data of 2,907 adults aged 70&ndash;84 years (mean age 75.8&plusmn;3.9 years, 57.8% women) in the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. The Fried frailty phenotype was used to define frailty. Analyzed data included sociodemographic, physical, physical function, biological, lifestyle, health condition, medical condition, psychological, and social domains. Data were standardized using the national standard population composition ratio based on the Korean Population and Housing Census. The standardized prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty was 7.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.8&ndash;8.9%) and 57.2% (95% CI 45.1&ndash;48.8%), respectively. The following 14 risk factors had a significant association with frailty: at risk of malnutrition, sarcopenia, severe mobility limitation, poor social capital, rural dwellers, depressive, poor self-perceived health, polypharmacy, elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, elevated glycosylated hemoglobin, low 25-hydroxy vitamin D level, longer timed up and go, and low short physical performance battery score (p&lt;0.05). Physico-nutritional, psychological, sociodemographic, and medical factors are strongly associated with frailty.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvin G Thomas ◽  
Anna Kucharska-Newton ◽  
Jingkai Wei ◽  
Priya Palta ◽  
Sheila Burgard ◽  
...  

Introduction: Frailty is predictive of cardiovascular disease and is suggested to co-occur with arterial stiffening, the hallmark of vascular aging. However, the temporal relationship is uncertain. Using the ARIC study, we examine the association of baseline frailty with cross-sectional and 5-year change in carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) in older adults. Methods: Participants at visit 5 (2011-2013) were classified as frail (≥3 criteria), prefrail (1-2 criteria), or robust using the Fried frailty phenotype criteria (unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, grip strength, slow walking speed, and low physical activity). We measured cfPWV at visits 5 and 6/7 (2016-2019). We used linear regression with inverse-probability of attrition weights to estimate the association between frailty and 5-year change in cfPWV while accounting for loss-to-follow-up among survivors. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race-center, mean arterial pressure, height, heart rate, smoking, and time between visits. Results: Of 5,096 participants at visit 5 (58% female, 21% black, mean age 75 [SD 5.1] years), 296 (6%) were frail and 2403 (47%) prefrail. In adjusted analyses at visit 5, frail participants had 30 cm/s (95% CI: -9, 69; p=0.1) higher cfPWV and prefrail participants had 12 cm/s (95% CI: -5, 30; p=0.2) higher cfPWV than those classified as robust (Table 1). In longitudinal analyses adjusted for attrition, we observed a 3 cm/s (95% CI: -11, 19; p=0.6) and 6 cm/s (95% CI: 0, 12; p=0.05) greater annualized increase in cfPWV over ~5 years among frail and prefrail participants, respectively, relative to the rate of arterial stiffening among robust participants (26 cm/s per year). Conclusions: Compared to robust older adults, greater aortic stiffness was observed among frail community-dwelling adults. Changes in aortic stiffening over the course of 5 years were not materially influenced by frailty status at baseline. Frail older adults may present with greater arterial aging and its associated hemodynamic effects on target organs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 1466-1475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaru Jin ◽  
Huaxin Si ◽  
Xiaoxia Qiao ◽  
Xiaoyu Tian ◽  
Xinyi Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Objectives Frailty is associated with depression in older adults and reduces their social support. However, the mechanism underlying such relationship remains unclear. We aim to examine whether social support acts as a mediator or moderator in the relationship between frailty and depression. Research Design and Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,779 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and older. Frailty, social support, and depressive symptoms were measured by the Physical Frailty Phenotype, Social Support Rating Scale, and five-item Geriatric Depression Scale, respectively. Data were also collected on age, gender, years of schooling, monthly income, cognitive function, number of chronic diseases, physical function, and pain. Results Linear regression models showed that subjective support and support utilization, but not objective support, mediated and moderated the relationship between frailty and depressive symptoms. The Johnson–Neyman technique determined a threshold of 30 for subjective support, but not for support utilization, beyond which the detrimental effect of frailty on depressive symptoms was offset. Discussion and Implications Social support underlies the association of frailty with depression, and its protective role varies by type. Interventions on depression should address improving perceptions and utilization of social support among frail older adults rather than simply providing them with objective support.


Author(s):  
Heeeun Jung ◽  
Miji Kim ◽  
Yunhwan Lee ◽  
Chang Won Won

Frailty is defined as a state of increased vulnerability to stressors, and it predicts disability and mortality in the older population. This study aimed to investigate the standardized prevalence and multidimensional risk factors associated with frailty among Korean community-dwelling older adults. We analyzed the baseline data of 2907 adults aged 70–84 years (mean age 75.8 ± 3.9 years, 57.8% women) in the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. The Fried frailty phenotype was used to define frailty. Analyzed data included sociodemographic, physical, physical function, biological, lifestyle, health condition, medical condition, psychological, and social domains. Data were standardized using the national standard population composition ratio based on the Korean Population and Housing Census. The standardized prevalence of frailty and prefrailty was 7.9% (95% confidence interval (CI) 6.8–8.9%) and 47.0% (95% CI, 45.1–48.8%), respectively. The following 14 risk factors were significantly associated with frailty: at risk of malnutrition, sarcopenia, severe mobility limitation, poor social capital, rural dwellers, depressive symptoms, poor self-perceived health, polypharmacy, elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, elevated glycosylated hemoglobin, low 25-hydroxy vitamin D level, longer Timed Up and Go, and low Short Physical Performance Battery score (p < 0.05). Physiconutritional, psychological, sociodemographic, and medical factors are strongly associated with frailty.


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