Frailty

Explore the breadth of frailty research, from evaluating multimodal interventions in co-morbid conditions like Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus to understanding the role of nutrition and exercise in mitigating frailty. Gain insights into the complex interplay between frailty, sarcopenia, and chronic diseases, and discover innovative strategies to improve outcomes for the elderly.

All Ageing Cachexia Cancer Cachexia Clinical Trials Exercise Frailty From the literature Guidelines Muscle Nutrition Other SCWD Events Sarcopenia

Frailty

An Evaluation of Multimodal Interventions for Co-morbid Frailty and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

This study investigates multimodal interventions for older adults with frailty and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), focusing on the effects of physical, nutritional, and educational strategies on improving functional performance. Involving 843 individuals aged 70+, findings highlight improved mobility, especially gait speed, linked to adherence and baseline health. Published in 'Age and Ageing', the research by Alvarez-Bustos A, Laosa O, Marzetti E, et al., emphasizes tailored interventions' importance for T2DM and frailty in the elderly.

🗓️ January 2024

📰 Publication: Age and Ageing

Frailty Ageing Cancer Cachexia From the literature

Interplay Between Multidimensional Frailty and Chronic Diseases: A Review

Discover the intricate relationship between frailty and chronic diseases in ageing. Dive into our analysis for insights and prevention strategies.

🗓️ November 2023

📰 Publication: Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics

Frailty From the literature Sarcopenia

Leucine-enriched Protein Supplementation for the Pre-frail: What Are the Benefits?

It is known that one in five adults with pre-frailty progresses to frailty over a 3-year period. Low protein and energy intake, increased prevalence of multimorbidity, and a sedentary lifestyle are well-characterised drivers of sarcopenia. Consequently, they act as catalysts of older adults’ transition to frailty. In this vein, stimulating increased muscle protein synthesis through regular physical exercise and protein-enriched diet consumption is pivotal for pre-frail older adults. Current U.S. Food and Nutrition Board guidelines recommend a dietary allowance of 0.8 g/kg of protein per day for older adults. However, this amount may be insufficient for those with pre-frailty due to their low-grade inflammation, multimorbidity, and increased susceptibility to anabolic resistance.

This study aimed to examine the impact of leucine-enriched protein supplementation with or without exercise on 1) physical function, 2) body composition, and 3) systemic inflammation in pre-frail older adults with a daily protein consumption of ≤1 g/kg.

From the literature Frailty

Are immunosenescence and mitochondrial dysfunction hallmarks of frailty?

The development of frailty has been attributed to a number of biological mechanisms, including immunosenescence and mitochondrial dysfunction. Impairments in immune cell mitochondria have been proposed to both cause and interact with immunosenescence, hypothetically leading to ageing-related increases in sterile inflammation, commonly known as ‘inflammaging’. However, despite the convincing evidence supporting these suggestions, claims regarding the effects of immunosenescence on clinical outcomes such as frailty have recently been challenged.

The aim of this article was to examine the association between immunosenescence, mitochondrial dysfunction, and frailty syndrome in community-dwelling frail and non-frail older adults.

📰 Publication: ells 2022

Frailty From the literature

Daily walking speed and frailty: a significant association?

Walking speed (WS) is clinically recognized as a crucial vital sign. Associations between daily walking speed (DWS) and health outcomes have been underscored by a number of studies, which have further recognized it as an accurate predictor of dependency and mortality in elderly individuals. Despite this knowledge, very few studies have examined the link between DWS and frailty.

The aim of this study was to investigate a smartphone application’s ability to assess the association between DWS and frailty. This application measured DW parameters such as speed and step length and further conducted an in-app frailty assessment using the Kihon checklist.

Frailty From the literature

Frailty as a predictive metric for pre- and post-transplant outcomes

Frailty is a known risk factor for negative surgical outcomes, and the Liver Frailty Index (LFI) has been shown to predict mortality in patients awaiting liver transplants. Despite this, neither a diagnosis of frailty nor a patient’s LFI holds any weight when determining their position on liver transplant waitlists.

The aim of this article was to assess frailty and the LFI’s ability to predict pre- and post-transplant outcomes.

Cancer Cachexia Cachexia Frailty From the literature

Review of the endocrine organ-like tumour hypothesis of cancer cachexia in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, PDAC, is one of the most fatal types of solid tumours. It is also linked to a high prevalence of cachexia, with around 80% of PDAC patients exhibiting cachexia. There is one hypothesis, the endocrine organ–like tumour hypothesis, which aims to explain the reasons behind cancer cachexia occurring during pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Some of the reasons include metabolites, epigenetic changes, hormonal disturbance and genetic instability may be behind the development of cancer cachexia. Generally, the belief is held that metabolic disruption is the process behind cachexia development, but it is also believed there is not one single factor that triggers it.
This review by Yu Y et al aimed to synthesise an understanding of cancer cachexia development and the response of cachexia to current available treatments.

Cachexia Cancer Cachexia Frailty From the literature

Malnutrition risk and frailty in head and neck cancer patients: a review

For patients with head and neck cancer, malnutrition and frailty are linked with adverse treatment outcomes, higher mortality rates, complications post-surgery and generally lower quality of life. However, the relationship between malnutrition and frailty is not fully known. It is, however, clear that these two conditions often coexist, suggesting they may share similar risk factors. In this study on 197 patients, it was found that the risk of malnutrition is strongly positively associated with frailty. However, some other interesting factors were discovered. Alcohol consumption was shown to present a greater risk of developing malnutrition, but on the other hand, alcohol consumption seems protective for being frail. Overall, these conditions often coexist but do not always fully overlap: screening for both conditions is therefore recommended.
This review by Dewansingh P et al aimed to understand the relationship between the risk of malnutrition and frailty in patients with head and neck cancer.

Ageing Frailty From the literature Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia and frailty assessments’ predictive value in elderly patients with COVID-19

Dynapenia is characterised by an age-related loss of muscle strength. When coupled with low muscle mass, it is instead diagnosed as sarcopenia according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People revised guidelines (EWGSOP2).
The SARS-CoV-2 infection is accompanied by severe inflammation and increased catabolism, which may significantly impact infected patients’ skeletal muscle structure and function. These impacts may be detrimental to elderly patients, who are disproportionately affected and already highly burdened by the disease. Recent studies have suggested that sarcopenia at the time of hospital admission may shape older patients’ length of stay and increase mortality in those with moderate to severe COVID-19.

The aim of this study was to examine the association between simple clinical biomarkers, including those for the assessment of muscle function and frailty, and the risk of poor survival as well as increased length of hospital stay in older patients with COVID-19. Sarcopenia was screened using SARC-F, while frailty was assessed in accordance with the Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale.

Sarcopenia Ageing Frailty From the literature

Sarcopenia and its metabolic basis in CKD: the key to treating physical frailty?

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) possess an increased risk of developing physical or phenotypic frailty. The skeletal muscle dysfunction underpinning physical frailty has been associated with increased mortality. CKD-related phenotypic frailty shares features with ageing-related frailty, and CKD has thus been touted as a clinically relevant model of premature ageing.

The aim of this review was to examine the metabolic basis and pathogenesis of the skeletal muscle dysfunction responsible for phenotypic frailty in patients with CKD.

📰 Publication: American Journal of Nephrology 2022

Frailty From the literature

Frailty, non-cirrhotic NAFLD, and exercise: a new model of care?

It is known that advanced liver disease and frailty are heavily interlinked, and frailty’s association with an increased risk of progression to cirrhosis and death has been widely documented. Patients with advanced liver disease who are on waiting lists for liver transplants are urged to increase their physical activity prior to surgery. However, this patient population only represents a minority of liver disease patients.

This article aims to examine the prevalence of frailty in patients with non-cirrhotic non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and exposes the faults of current models of care for this patient population.

Frailty From the literature Sarcopenia

Frailty status, inflammatory, and muscle catabolism biomarker patterns: a strong association?

Fraily development is largely determined by low levels of nutrients, increased expression of inflammatory biomarkers, and age-related oxidative stress (OS). These frailty-related dysfunctions may lead to impairments in muscle structure and function, causing the onset of a muscle-catabolic state. As such, they may contribute to the development of sarcopenia, which is both a cause and a consequence of frailty.
Measuring biomarker patterns such as dietary, OS, inflammatory, and muscle-related biomarkers (e.g., 3-methylhistidine (3MH)) has been touted as a means to understand the complex mechanisms behind frailty. Despite this, data on multi-biomarker patterns remains scarce.

The aim of this study was to measure a variety of circulating biomarkers in an attempt to characterise their patterns. The existence of an association between these patterns and frailty status in non-frail and frail in-hospital patients was then assessed.

Ageing Frailty From the literature Sarcopenia

Predicting and acknowledging the role of resilience in elderly patients

Resilience is characterised by the ability to bounce back after exposure to a stressor or a form of adversity. It is frequently separated into physical and psychological components, with the former being defined as the ability to recover following age-related losses or disease. A decline in resilience is both a marker and a risk factor for accelerated ageing and frailty, respectively.

The aim of this editorial was to showcase the importance of resilience in the recovery of frail patients. It also exposes the mechanisms behind resilience, as well as the gaps in its clinical assessment.

Frailty From the literature Sarcopenia

Frailty: a predictor of mortality, hospital readmission, and length of stay?

The Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) was developed to detect frail individuals based on data extracted from hospital databases. An association between the HFRS, 30-day mortality, 30-day emergency hospital readmission, and long length of stay (LOS) was originally validated in populations of elderly patients admitted to hospital via the emergency department. Data regarding the HFRS’ predictive ability in the context of direct admissions and post-discharge outcomes is thus lacking.

The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between the HFRS and 30-day mortality, 30-day hospital readmission, and long LOS by analysing in- and out-patient healthcare in France.

Ageing Frailty From the literature

Frailty: a growing concern in the UK

Frailty is characterised by increased vulnerability to acute stressors associated with an age-related decline in function across multiple physiological systems. Since it is an age-dependent clinical syndrome, countries with ageing populations, like the United Kingdom (UK), are predicted to become increasingly exposed to worsening frailty-associated patient outcomes and burdened healthcare systems.

This article aimed to emphasise the importance of frailty-related education for healthcare professionals in the UK.

Frailty From the literature Sarcopenia

Frailty instruments in patients with heart failure: a comparison of predictive performance

Frailty is characterised by increased vulnerability to acute stressors. As it is common in adults with heart failure (HF), frailty has been used as a predictor of mortality and morbidity for HF patients.
Frailty Phenotype, the most commonly used frailty instrument in HF, is used for the physical examination of frailty. While physical frailty instruments are commonly used in clinical practice, a proportion of studies have expressed issues with such tools. As HF may have detrimental effects on physical function, the use of physical instruments may lead to an under- or over-estimation of frailty.

This study aims to compare the predictive ability of three physical frailty instruments (the Frailty Phenotype, the St Vincent’s Frailty instrument and the SHARE-FI); and three multi-domain instruments (the FRAIL scale, the Deficit Accumulation Index, and St Vincent’s Frailty plus cognition 7 and mood) in adults with HF.

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